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History 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

ChapD-iy. Copyright No 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



a 



A 

HISTORY OF GEORGIA 

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS 



BY 

LAWTON B. EVANS 



UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING COMPANY 
NEW YORK AND NEW ORLEANS 

1898 










*** 1993 



40198 

COPYEIOHT, 1898. BY 

UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING COMPANY 




TWO COPIES RECEIVED. 







PEEFACE. 

The author has tried to present in this hook the leading 
facts of the history of Georgia, and he has spared neither 
time nor trouble in endeavoring to obtain them. Leading 
facts in the history of the United States are interwoven in 
the narrative wherever the closeness of their relation to 
Georgia history makes it necessary or desirable. 

The book is written for pupils of from twelve to fifteen 
years of age. Though not descending to childish narrative, 
the author has endeavored to make the story easily under- 
stood. But it cannot be mastered without study, for with- 
out study nothing really valuable in education can ever be 
acquired. The narrative that is merely pleasing is not always 
the most serviceable or the most likely to be retained in 
the memory. 

Great care has been taken and great expense incurred in 
the pictorial illustrations of the book. Pictures of many 
Georgia men are given for the first time in a history, special 
attention having been paid to the work of securing good like- 
nesses of those who as generals led Georgians brigades in the 
Civil War. The faces of these commanders in the great 
struggle are thus presented to the youth of the State, who 
will look upon them with gratificatai>n and. pride. 

To teachers, the author desires ^6 suggest that the book be 
used as a reader in the seventh and eighth grades and in the 
high schools. After a chapter has been read, the questions at 
the end may be of help in the work of review, while the 
" Topics '' may be found serviceable as supplying subjects for 
written exercises. By using the text at the rate of two 
chapters a week, the book can be mastered in a year. Should 



VI r RE FACE. 

the teacher desire a very critical stud}% the hook may he used 
for a two years'' course. 

In liis eifort to produce a good and serviceahle history, the 
author has had valuable help from Mr. Otis Ashmore, of 
Savannah, who has aided him much in original research. 
The author also acknowledges his indebtedness to Mr. C. L. 
Patton, of the University Publishing Company, whose work 
has largely contributed to make the book a complete, accu- 
rate, and reliable School Ilistory of Georgia. 

Lawtox B. Evans. 
Augusta, Ga., June, 1898. 



CO]N'TEIsrTS. 



EPOCH I.— Before English Colonization. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

1. Discovery and Early Explorers, 1 

2. De Soto. — The Margravate of Azilia, 6 

EPOCH II.— Georgia under the Trustees. 

3. Why and by Whom Georgia was Settled, .... 13 

4. Where and When Georgia was Settled, 18 

5. How the Colony Grew, . . . ... . . .23 

6. Trouble with the Spaniards.— Oglethorpe Invades Florida, 28 

7. The Spaniards Invade Georgia, 33 

8. The Administration of President Stephens 39 

9. The Administration of President Henry Parker, ... 45 

EPOCH III.— Georgfia under the Royal Governors. 

10. Administration of Governor Reynolds. — The Great Seal, . 50 

11. Governor Henry Ellis. — Affairs Preceding the Revolution, . 58 

12. Administration of Governor Wright, 65 

13. How the People Treated the Demands of the Mother Country, 70 

14. First Acts of Resistance, 77 

15. The People Overthrow the Government of the King, . . 84 

EPOCH IV.-Georgia an Independent State, 1776-1789. 

16. The Constitution of 1777.— Permanent State Organization, . 90 

17. The British Overrun Georgia, 96 

18. The Progress of the War in Georgia, 103 

19. The Attack Upon Savannah, 109 

20. Augusta Taken and Retaken, ...... 114 

21. Georgia is Recognized as Free and Independent, . . . 121 

22. Georgia in the Confederation, 1783-1789, . . . . 127 



VIU 



Contents. 



EPOCH V. -Georgia in the Federal Union. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

2o. Georgia Enters llie Union of States, 134 

24. Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin, 139 

25. Yazoo Fraud. 143 

26. Constitution of 1798, loO 

27. The University Founded. — Western Territory Ceded, . . loo 

28. Land Lottery and Head Rights, IGl 

29. Internal Improvements, IGo 

30. The War of 1-812.— Indian Troubles, 170 

31. The End of the War of 1812, 175 

32. Progress of the State, . . 180 

33. How They Lived in Early Times 187 

34. Early Customs and Habits, .192 

35. Crawford, Troup, and Clark, ...... 197 

36. Administration of Troup, 202 

37. Treaty of 1825, 207 

38. Georgia Defies the Federal Government 213 

39. Administration of Governor Gilmer, 217 

40. Administration of Governor Lum[)kiu, 223 

■ 41. Removal of the Cherokees.— Creek War 228 

42. Higher Education. 238 

43. Our First Railroads 240 

44. Administration of Governor McDonald, 243 

45. Administration of Governor Crawford, ..... 247 
40. Geoi'gia in the Mexican War, 251 

47. Contest over Slavery in the Territories, .... 257 

48. Political Disturbances, 261 

49. War Threatening, 265 

50. Georgia Secedes, 270 



EPOCH VI.— Georgia in the Confederate States. 

51. The Beginning of the War, ....... 275 

52. Progress of the War, 281 

53. From Chattanooga to Atlanta 288 

54. The INIarch to the Sea, 295 

55. The Federal Army Assumes Control of Georgia, . . . 301 



EPOCH VII.— Reconstruction. 

56. Georgia Excluded from the Union, 

57. Under [Military (Jovernors, .... 



306 
310 



Contents. 



IX 



EPOCH VIII.— Georgia Once More in the Union. 



CHAPTER 

58 
59, 
60 



The Return of Peace, 
The Constitution of 1877, 
Progress of the State, 

61. Administration of Governor McDaniel, 

62. Administration of Governor Gordon, 

63. Administration of Governor Northen, 

64. Administration of Governor Atkinson, 



PAGE 

315 
320 
325 
330 
333 
336 
341 



Appendix, i to xliv 



PORTRAITS. 



Alexander, E. P. . 
Andrew, Bishop James O. 
Anderson, CD.. 
Anderson, G. T. . 
Anderson, E. H. . 
Atkinson, W. Y. 



Bacon, Augustus O. 
Baldwin, Abram . 
Barrow, Pope 
Barto\\', Francis S. 
Benning, Henry L. 
Berrien, John M. . 
Bleckley, Logan E. 
Boggs, W. R. . 
Boyuton, Jas. S. . 
Brown, Joseph E. . 
Brown, Wm. M. . 
Bryan, Goode 
Bulloch, Archibald 
Bullock, R. B. 



Capers, F. W. 
Carswell, R. W. . 
Clark, John . 
Clarke, Elijah 
Clay, Alex. Stephens 
Clinch, Duncan L. 
Cobb, Howell 
Cobb, T. R. R. 
Colquitt, A. H. 
Colquitt, Walter T. 
Conley, Beiij. 
Cook, Phil 



238 
291 



341 



342 
135 



279 



215 
333 



287 



. 84 

r 311 

. 291 

. 291 

. 197 

. 114 

. 343 

. 257 
261 and 283' 



283 and 320 
. 247 
. 316 
. 297 



Crawford, George W 247 

Crawford, Wm. H 207 

Crisp, Chas. F 33G 

Gumming, Alfred . . . .289 



Dawson, Wm. C. . 
Deshler, James 
De Soto, Hernando 
Doles, George 
Dubose, Dudley M. 



245 



Early, Peter 175 

Early, Mrs. Peter 187 

Elliott, Bishop Stephen . . .245 
Evans, Clement A 297 



Few, William 


. 135 


Forsyth, John 


. 215 


Gardner, W. Montgomery 


. 279 


Gartland, Bishop Francis X 


. 259 


Gartrell, Lucius J. 


. 297 


Gilmer, George R. 


. 217 


Girardy, V. J. B. . 


. 297 


Glascock, Thomas 


. 112 


Gordon, John B. . 


287 and 333 


Grady, Henry W. . 


. . 335 


Greene, Nathaniel 


. 127 


Gwdnnett, Button . 


. 88 


Habersham, Jas. . 


_ 


Habersham, Joseph 


. . 86 


Hall, Lyman . 


. 88 



CONTENTS. 



Hardee, W. H. 
Harrison, Geo. P., Jr. 
Harrison, Geo. P.,Sr. 
Hill, Benj. H. 
Hill, Joshua . 



Irwin, Jared . 
Iverson, Alfred 
Iversou, Alfred, Jr. 



Jackson, Henry R. 
Jackson, Gov. Jas. 
Jackson, James. . 
Jackson, John K. . 
Jenkins, Chas. J. . 
Johnson, Herschel V. 
Johnson, James . 
Jones, Davis R. 
Jones, Noble W. . 



King, John P. 

Lawton, A. R. 
Lochrane, A. O. 
Long, Crawford W. 
Longstreet, James 
Lumpkin, Joseph H. 
Lumpkin, Wilson . 

McCay, H. K. 
McDaniel, Henry D. 
McDonald, C. J. . 
Mcintosh, Lachlan 
McLaws, Lafayette 
Mercer, Hugh W. . 
Mercer, Jessie 
Milledge, John 
Miller, H. V. M. . 
Mitchell, David B. 

Nesbit, E. A. . 
Northen, Wm. J. . 
Norwood, Thos. M. 



Oglethorpe, Jas. E. 
Orr, Gustavus J. . 



279 
289 
291 
271 
311 

143 



279 
150 
327 
289 
306 



226 



313 
249 

283 
248 



291 
3;30 
243 
105 
279 
279 
233 
161 
312 
165 

248 
336 
326 

12 
316 



Phillips, Wm 291 

Pierce, Bishop Geo. F 238 

Prince, Oliver H 218 

Pulaski, Count C 109 

St. John, I. M 301 

Schley, Wm 228 

Semmes, Paul J 283 

Simmons, Thos. J :342 



Simms, Jas. P. 



297 



.340 
315 



Smith, Gustavus W 291 

Smith, Hoke .... 

Smith, Jas. M 

Smith, Wm. D. . . 

Sorrel, G. M 

Stephens, Alex. H. ... 
Stovall, M. A 



Talbot, Matthew 184 

Tatnall, Josiah 253 

Thomas, B. M 289 

Thomas, E. L 287 

Tomochichi 18 

Toombs, Robert ... 261 and 283 

Towns, Geo. W 257 

Treutlen, John A 96 

Troup, Geo. M 202 

Twiggs, David E 253 

Waddel, Moses 180 

Walker, Freeman 184 

Walker, W. H. T 279 

Walsh, Patrick 339 

Walton, George 88 

Ware, Nicholas 200 

Warner, Hiram 248 

Wayne, Anthony . . .121 

Wayne, II. C ..... 291 

Wayne. Jas. Moore . . 2;il 

Wesley, John 23 

Wheeler, Joseph 289 

Whitefield, George . . .30 

Willis, Edward ..... 287 

Wilson, C. C 289 

Wofford, W.T 287 

Wright, Ambrose R 283 

Wright, G. J 291 



Young, P. M. B. 



297 



N. B.— All the portraits are copyrighted. Any person reproducing any op 

THEM IS LIABLE TO PROSECUTION. 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

EPOCH I. 

Before English Colonization. 

CHAPTER I. 

DISCOVERY AND EARLY EXPLORERS. 

Fairest, frnitfulest, and pleasantest of all the world."— Ribault. 

The boys and girls wlio study tliis book know that the part 
of the land upon which we live is called Georgia. On the 
maps in the Geography they have seen a section with the 
name ^^ Georgia " printed across it^ which they have been told 
is a map of this land. They have only to look around them 
to see some part of the land itself. We know this land and 
love it. We know the mountains and green valleys that lie iu 
the northern part ; we knoAV the red hills and gentle slopes in 
the centre ; we know the wide forest plains in the southern 
part. It is all Georgia,, from the mountains to the sea. It 
does not even stop at the water's edge, but extends into the 
great Atlantic Ocean three miles beyond the line of white 
breakers that roll upon the shore of the islands along our 
coast. 

Upon this land are great cities, busy towns and villages, 
and fertile fields. Across this land in every direction extend 
lines of railroad, and through its length and breadth are 
churches and school-houses. Within the boundaries of this 



2 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



land live nearly two million people, skilled in the arts of eivil- 
ization, and united for the protection of their liberty, their 
lives, and their property in one political body or civil society, 
called the State of Georgia, ^^ the Empire State of the South/' 
This land was not always called Georgia, and it was not 
always inhabited by the people that now crowd its cities and 
towns and cultivate its fields. About four hundred years ago 
it not onlv had no such name, ])ut even its existence was not 



V > 



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":^.-4^^.^i^\ 



known to the civilized world. As late as two hundred years 
ago it was almost unbroken forest, and the people who inhab- 
ited it were savages, who built no cities, liad no written lan- 
guage, knew nothing of their own past history, and who led a 
wandering life in the solitude of the great forests which cov- 
ered this land. The story of how that unbroken wilderness 
became the Georgia of to-dav is of interest to every Georgian. 



Voyages to the new world. 3 

This is the story which the students of this book have before 
them. 

The voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492 proved to the 
2:)eople of the Old World that land lay beyond the great Atlan- 
tic^ although Columbus himself believed this land to be India, 
and called the savages whom he found here, Indians. He 
died still believing this. One of his friends, however, Ameri- 
cus Vespucius, who explored the coast of South America, 
became convinced that it was not India, but in fact a new 
continent. Upon his return Americus wrote a description of 
that continent, which he called the "^qw World.'' The 
scholars who read his description and were convinced of the 
truth of his opinions called this new world the land of 
Americus, or America. 

The news of the discovery spread rapidly over Europe and 
created excitement among all classes of people. Every civil- 
ized nation fitted out ships and sent them across the Atlantic 
on voyages of discovery. England sent John Cabot and his 
son Sebastian, who reached Labrador and explored the coasts 
as far south as Cape Hatteras ; France sent Verrazano ; Spain, 
Portugal, and Holland sent many explorers who followed 
in the path of Columbus, visiting the West Indies, South 
America, Mexico, and Central America, and even sailing 
around the world. 

Among those who accompanied Columbus on his second 
voyage was Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish nobleman. He 
heard from the natives of the West India Islands of a great 
land lying to the north which they called Bimini, and in 
which was a wonderful fountain whose waters gave renewed 
youth to the old and feeble. De Leon told this to the King 
of S^^ain, and in 1512, twenty years after the first voyage of 
Columbus, he received a royal commission ''to discover and 
settle the island of Bimini " in the name of the Spanish 
crown. Ponce de Leon was delayed until the following 3'ear, 
but in March, 1513, he sailed from the island of Porto Rico, 



4 HISTORY OF Georgia, 

and steering northward past the Bahama Islands, he came in 
sight of the mainhmd of North America on Easter Sunday, 
the 27th of March, 1513. He named the land Florida in 
honor of the day, Pascua Florida heing the Spanish name for 
Easter Sunday. A few days later lie landed near the present 
site of St. Augustine, and took possession of the country in 
the name of the King of Spain. He turned southward, and 
passing through Florida Straits sailed up the western coast to 
a bay south of Tampa Bay. The curve of the coast convinced 
him he had discovered another island like Cuba. He then 
returned to Spain, and received from the king a new patent to 
conquer and settle the " island of Bimini and the island of 
Florida." 

He did not conquer the natives, however, nor plant a colony, 
nor find the Fountain of Youth. Eight years passed before he 
attempted a settlement, and then he was himself wounded in 
a contest with the savages, and returned with his followers to 
Cuba;, where he died very shortly from his wounds. He had 
not entered the territory that is now called Georgia, but his 
visit is of interest to us because it gave to our land the name 
Florida, the first name which was given it, and the name by 
which it was known in Euro})e for more than a hundred years. 

In 1520, seven years after Ponce de Leon gave its first name 
to this country, an expedition was sent out by Lucas Vasquez 
de Ayllon, a wealthy Spaniard, from the island of San 
Domingo. Joining with another ship on the way, the expedi- 
tion landed on the coast of what is now South Carolina, near 
the present site of Port Royal. The Indians were friendly, 
and a number were induced to come on the ships, where they 
were held as prisoners and carried to San Domingo to be sold 
as slaves. De Ayllon had the prisoners released, and four 
years later he sent two ships, under the command of Pedro de 
Quexos, to the newly discovered land. Pedro de Quexos suc- 
ceeded in regaining the friendship of the natives, and explored 
the Atlantic coast for many miles, including the present coast 



First Map of Our Coast, 5 

of Georgia. Xo permanent settlement was made, but it is 
almost certain that the men attached to this party were the 
first white men who set foot on our soil. 

About the time that the second expedition was sent out by 
De Ayllon, the King of Spain sent another expedition, consist- 
ing of a single vessel under the command of Stephen Gomez, 
with instructions to sail northward and ascertain if any west- 
ern passage could be found through the continent south of 
Newfoundland and Labrador. Gomez reached the Labrador 
coast, and turning southward he explored the whole Atlantic 
coast of the United States. He proved that Florida was not 
an island, and the land of De Ayllon was not a new continent, 
but that both were parts of the same mainland that Ponce de 
Leon had discovered and named Florida. From his reports 
a map was prepared in 1529, by Ribero, who was employed by 
the King of Spain, and this map is the first that shows any 
knowledge of Georgia's coast line. 

QUESTIONS. 

What is the name of that part of the land upon which we live? What 
can you say of our love for this land ? What can you say of the extent 
of it? What do we find upon the land? How many people live within 
its boundaries ? Why are they united ? What do they make ? What 
can you say of this soil four hundred years ago? Who lived here as late 
as two hundred years ago? What can you say of Christopher Columbus? 
Why was this country called America? Mention some other explorers 
in the New World. Who came with Columbus on his second voyage? 
What land did he seek to explore and settle? When did he discover 
the mainland, and how did he name it? What can you say of his efforts 
to colonize the land? Why is his visit of interest to us? What expedi- 
tion was sent over in 1530? Where did they land? What expedition 
was sent out four years later, and what did they explore? What expedi- 
tion was sent out by the King of Spain? What of the exploration 
of Gomez? What did he prove? What map was prepared in 1529? 

TOPICS. 

1. The land of Georgia. 4. Story of De Leon. 

2. The State of Georgia. 5. Expeditions of De Ayllon. 

3. Prehistoric condition. 6. Travels of Gomez. 



CHAPTER II. 



DE SOTO.— THE MARGRAVATE OF AZILIA. 



"Nature lias not Messed the world with any tract which can be preferable to it. Para- 
dise with all her virgin beauties may be modestly supposed at most but equal to its native 
excellences/''— RoBEUT Montgomery, 1717. 



Of the many adventurers who 
visited and explored all parts of 
the New World, probably the only 
one who marched through the for- 
ests of Georgia was Hernando de 
Soto. De Soto landed in Florida 
in 1539. He had with him six 
hundred brave soldiers, two hun- 
dred horses, a number of fleet grey- 
hounds and savage blood-hounds, 
and also a drove of hogs which he 
intended to use for food. 

Travelling northward he en- 
tered the region of Georgia, and 
we have records of his marching 
through Irwin or Coifee County. 
From thence he went in a northeasterly direction through 
Laurens County ; then crossing the Ogeechee Eiver and Briar 
Creek he camped on the Savannah River, probably at Silver 
Bluff, a few miles below the present city of Augusta. During 
the march his soldiers searched everywhere for gold, breaking 
into Avigwams, temples, and even the graves of the Indians. 
Tliey suffered for food. At one village an Indian chief sent 
them a present of partridges, corn, and turkeys. He also 




DE SOTO'S MARCH. 7 

gave them some dogs, and these were killed by the soldiers 
and eaten with great relish. 

AVhen De Soto reached the bank of the Savannah River he 
was received by a beautiful Indian princess. She came across 
the river in her canoe and welcomed him. She took from her 
own neck a string of j)earls and hung it around the neck of 
De Soto in token of friendship. She gave him many shawls 
and dressed skins for clothing. De Soto was moved by the 
beauty and kindness of the princess^ and taking from his fin- 
ger a ring of gold set with a ruby, he placed it on her finger. 

At Silver Blulf the Indians brought in a dagger and a 
rosary, both of Spanish make, which proved that some Span- 
ish party had visited the land before him. Historians agree 
that these were left by De Ayllon^s second expedition, which 
had explored this coast sixteen years before. 

De Soto was hospitably treated by these Indians, but he did 
not return their kindness. He took from them basketfuls of 
jiearls, and treated them Avith cruelty. When he left, he took 
the beautiful princess a captive, and compelled her to go, on 
foot, ahead of his army. He proceeded up the Savannah 
Eiver for some distance. At a point believed to be in the 
present county of Habersham, he turned westward and crossed 
northern Georgia to the Indian village Chiaha. This village 
was at the junction of the Oostenaula and the Etowah, where 
the city of Rome now stands. During the last march before 
he turned west, the Indian princess escaped from De Soto, 
taking with her a large box of rare pearls. 

After leaving Georgia, July 2, 1540, De Soto continued his 
march until he came to the banks of the Mississippi River 
in 1541. He crossed the river, and after wandering in the 
swamps he was seized with fever, and died in May, 1542. His 
followers concealed his death from the Indians, and carrying 
his body at night, weighted it with stones and dropped it into 
the waters of the great river he had discovered. Only forty of 
all the six hundred men lived to return to their homes in Spain. 



8 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Everywhere on his march De Soto found the red men, 
whom Cohimbus had named Indians. They were a rough, 
ignorant, warlike race, of brown or red color, with high 
cheek bones and long, coarse hair. The men, when they were 
not at war, spent their time fishing and hunting, while the 
women cultivated i:>atches of maize or Indian corn. They 
lived in small villages of skin-covered huts called wigwams. 




MARCH OF DE i^OTO 



scattered about through the woods and on the banks of the 
streams, where game and fish were plentiful. The Indians 
were not many in number. Probably not more than ten thou- 
sand were in all Georgia at that time. 

The explorations of De Soto confirmed Sjiain's title to the 
lands that we now call CJeorgia. If he had settled his follow- 
ers on those lands instead of pushing west in search of some 
mighty empire to conquer, he would have founded here a 



RIBAULT EXPLORES OUR COAST. 9 

great Spanish-American state with a Spanish-speaking people. 
Through his faihire to do so, Spain lost her claim to this soil, 
and more than twenty years passed before another visit was 
made to our shores by colonists with a view to settlement. 

The next visit was made by a French company of Hugue- 
nots sent out by Admiral Coligny, who was himself a Hu- 
guenot, and who thought to find religious freedom for them 
in the wilds of America. This expedition was under the 
command of John Ribault, who explored oar entire sea-coast 
from the St. John's River to Port Royal. He gave French 
names to all of our rivers. The St. Mary's he called the 
Seine ; the Satilla, the Somme ; the Altamaha, the Loire ; the 
Newport, the Charante ; the Great Ogeechee, the Garonne ; 
and the Savannah, the Gironde. 

His descriptions of our coast are most glowing. He finally 
built a fort and planted his colony where Port Royal now 
stands. The fort was called Fort Charles, but was abandoned 
two years later, and a new fort, called Fort Caroline, was 
built at the mouth of the River St. John, then called the 
River May. 

Spain was alarmed by these French settlements, and in 
1565 sent a large force under Menendez to settle Florida. 
After founding St. Augustine and fortifying it, he surprised 
and murdered the French at Fort Caroline, and left a Spanish 
garrison there. Shortly after, a party of French, in retaliation, 
recaptured the fort and murdered the Spanish garrison, but 
did not attempt to hold the country. After this, Spain held 
peaceably, for a hundred years, the lands that are now Georgia, 
and the Spanish governors at St. Augustine sent mining 
parties into the Cherokee country to work the gold mines. 
Juan Paedo built a fort there, and the mining continued 
twenty years after Charleston was founded. The ruins of the 
fort, and mining tools of iron, were found by the early white 
settlers of North Georgia after the removal of the Cherokees. 

England's claim to the territory was founded on the explo- 



10 History of Georgia. 

rations of the Cabots in 149T and 1498, but for more than one 
liundred years no attempt was made to enforce tliis claim. In 
1663 Charles II. granted all the land lying along the Atlantic 
coast, between the thirty-sixth and twenty-ninth degrees of 
nortli latitude, to eight noblemen, called the Lords Proprie- 
tors of Carolina. All the land in the present State of Georgia 
was included in this grant, and from that date was called Caro- 
lina by the English, though no attempt was made to settle the 
lands west of the Savannah River. 

The permanent English settlements at Charleston and along 
the Carolina coast established England's claim to Carolina, 
while the permanent Spanish settlement at St. Augustine had 
established Spain's title to Florida ; but no agreement could be 
reached as to the dividing line between Carolina and Florida. 
The northern line of Florida Avas not fixed until IT Go, one 
hundred 3'ears after tlie grant to the Lords Proprietors, when 
Spain ceded all Florida to England. 

The first effort to colonize the territory of Georgia was 
made by Sir Robert Montgomery in 1717, who secured from 
the Lords Proprietors of Carolina a grant of the land lying 
between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers. It was to be 
called the Margravate of iVzilia, and was to be a part of Car- 
olina. Sir Robert was to pay a rental of one penny an acre 
for all lands occupied, and to give the Lords Proprietors 
one-fourth of all the gold, silver, and jn-ecious stones found 
there. 

The most glowing accounts of the wonders and beauties of 
Georgia were written. Nowhere in the world could be found 
such beautiful woods and meadows, such rich mines and 
fields, such a soft climate and fertile soil. But these accounts 
did not attract settlers south of the Savannah River, and the 
red men of the forests remained the only inhabitants of 
Azilia, until a nobler man, with a loftier aim than Sir 
Robert, came to make its shores the home of the unfor- 
tunate. 



QUESTIONS AND TOPICS. 11 

[When General Oglethorpe came to America and went np the Savan- 
nah River, he took with liim the journal of Sir Walter Raleigh. From 
the latitude and marks of the place he was led to believe that Sir Walter 
had been there before him, had landed at Yamacraw and had talked 
with the natives. He was told that about half a mile from the bluff 
there was a grave of an old chief who on his death-bed said: " Bury me 
on the place where I talked with that great, good man from over the 
sea."] 

[To show the number of pearls taken by De Soto's men from the 
Indians of Georgia, it is related that one day a foot soldier called to a 
horseman who was his friend and offered him a linen bag of pearls 
weighing six pounds, saying: "You may have these if you will. I am 
tired of carrying them." The horseman refused the offer, telling the 
soldier to keep the jewels for himself. But he replied: "If you will not 
have them, I will not carry them longer. They shall remain here." So 
saying, he untied the bag, whirled it around his head, and scattered the 
pearls in every direction among the thickets and grass.] 



QUESTIONS. 

Who landed in Florida in 1539? What did he bring with him? What 
of his march through Georgia? Tell what they searched for. What of 
the Indian princess? What did the Indians bring in at Silver Bluff? 
How was De Soto treated by the Indians? How did he treat them? 
Where did tlie army march after leaving Silver Bluff? What river did 
he reach in 1541? Describe his death and burial. How many of his fol- 
lowers returned to Spain? Describe the Indians wliom De Soto met. 
What if De Soto had settled on this land? Who made the next visit? 
What names did he give to the rivers? How did he describe our coast? 
On what was the English claim to the territory of Georgia founded? 
What charter was granted in 1603? What did this territory embrace? 
Who made the first effort to colonize Georgia? What was it to be 
called? Give a description of it. Did the effort succeed? 



TOPICS. 

Let the pupil tell — 

1. The story of De Soto's march. 4. How Georgia was first a part of 

2. The story of Ribault's travels. Carolina. 

3. Of the Spanish occupation. 5. About the Margravate of Azilia. 



EPOCH II. 

Georgia under the Trustees. 

CHAPTER III. 



WHY AXD BY WHOM GEORGIA WAS SETTLED. 

"Many of our poor subjects are, through misfortune and want of employment, 
reduced to great necessity, insomuch as by their labor they are not able to provide a 
maintenance for themselves and families ; and if they had means to defray their charges 
of passage and the expenses incident to new settlements, they would be glad to settle in 
any of our provinces in America, where, by cultivating the lands at present waste and 
desolate, they might not only gain a comfortable subsistence for themselves and families, 
but also strengthen our colonies and increase trade, navigation, and wealth of these our 
resL]inii.'' Krf/acf from Chaiier of Oeorgia. 

Many years ago it was the 
custom in England to impris- 
on people for debt. These 
debtors' prisons, as they were 
called, were often the scenes 
of suffering, injustice, and 
cruelty. The way in whicli 
they were managed finally be- 
came so bad that it attracted 
public attention, and the 
British Parliament appoint- 
ed a committee to investigate 
and reform the condition of 
the prisons of England. 
The chairman of this committee was James Edward 
Oglethorpe, a member of Parliament and the author of tlie 
resolution under wliich the committee was appointed. lie 




JAMKS KDWAIVU OGLKTUOKrii. 



Why Georgia was Settled, 



13 



was a good and wise man. In his visits to the prisons his 
heart was touched by the sufferings of the unfortunate 
debtors. He saw that these poor men could not possibly 
earn money to pay their debts while they were shut up in 
prison. Even if released it was not probable that they Avould 
succeed in life better than before. All the land in Eng- 
land belonged to the rich, and a poor man, although willing 
to work, had no right to plant this land and raise food for 
his family. He thought of the great tracts of land lying 
idle on the shores of America. On these lands the poor 




debtors could build homes, and from this fertile soil they 
could support their families. He enlisted several other noble- 
men in his plans, and induced them to unite with him in a 
petition to the king, asking for a grant of land in ^'his 
Majesty's Province of America,''' where they could colonize 
many of the worthy and honest poor people living in and near 
the city of London. 

The petition was granted, and the charter for a colony 
received the great seal of England, June 9, 1732.- The terri- 
tory granted was that pai't of South Carolina west of the 



14 



History of Georgia, 



Savannah River. It included all the land between the Savan- 
nah and Altaniaha Kivers, from the Atlantic coast to the head- 
waters of these streams, and thence extended westward to the 
" South Seas/'" or Pacific Ocean. Tlie name of Georgia was 
given to this province in honor of George II., who was then 
king of England. 

The reasons for locating the colony in this place were to 
])rotect the frontier of Carolina from the ravages of the 
Indians, and to take possession of soil that was disputed by 
the English and Spanish. Oglethorpe also heard that mul- 
berry-trees grew along the Savannah River, and that the 
climate was suitable for the silkworm. He believed that a 
fine quality of raw silk could be raised in Georgia by colonists, 
who could thus find means of earning a living and save to 
England vast sums of money paid to foreign countries for 
silks. So firmly did he believe in this that he resolved to 
send to Italy for persons to teach the colonists how to feed 
the worms and wind the threads from the cocoons. 

The charter created a 
board of trustees, called 
The Trustees for estaUish- 
ing the colony of Georgia 
in America^ for a term of 
twenty- one years, with the 
power of buying and sell- 
ing lands, of having a 
seal, of making laws, and 
of establishing courts for 
the government of the 
new colony. They were 
given power to send for- 
eigners and subjects of 




JKAL OF TUE TUUSTEKS. 



Great Britain to Georgia 
and to grant them lands, not over five hundred acres to each 
person, for which no rent should be paid foi- ten years. On 



By whom Georgia was Settled. 15 

the reverse of the seal of the TrnBtees was the motto ^'Xon 
sibi sed aliis,'' \\\\\q\\ means, ^' Not for themselves but for 
others/' A clear impression of this side cannot be found. 
The picture on the preceding page shows the front or obverse 
side of the seal, and the Latin inscription, " Colonia Georgia 
augeat," meaning, "May the Georgia colony flourish.*' 

Having received the charter, the Trustees met and made 
rules for the settlement and government of the new province. 
They resolved to grant only fifty acres of land, to each man and 
his family. Land was granted for life only, and when a man 
died his sons inherited it. The condition was also put in the 
grant that the land must be cleared, planted, and a house built 
by a certain time, or the right to it would be lost. It was 
required that a hundred white mulberry trees should be 
planted on every ten acres. The Trustees also prohibited the 
sale of rum and the use of- negro slaves in the colony. The 
Trustees asked for gifts of money to aid the enterprise. The 
responses were liberal. Even Parliament gave £10,000 to help 
them in their noble purpose. 

The Trustees also offered inducements to men of means to 
join the colony. To a man of good character who would pay 
his own expenses and bring with him ten able-bodied men- 
servants over twenty-one years of age, the Trustees agreed to 
grant five hundred acres of land, which could not be sold, 
but descended to his male heirs. A rental of twenty shillings 
a year was to be paid for every hundred acres, but the pay- 
ments were not to commence for ten years. Within the ten 
years each person was to clear and cultivate two hundred of 
the five hundred acres of land, and to plant two thousand 
white mulberry trees. Persons having land under this grant 
must live in Georgia at least three years, and could not leave 
the province without permission of the Trustees. 

It may seem strange that parties receiving land were not 
permitted to mortgage or sell it, and that the land descended 
only to the male heirs, but it must be remembered that the 



16 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

object of the Trustees was to secure a large number of male 
citizens who could be relied upon for the defence of the 
colony. Every settler was a soldier, and was required to do 
military service. 

A great many persons were anxious to join this colon3\ 
Many were rejected. Xo debtor was taken without the consent 
of the creditor ; no criminals or wicked persons Avere accepted ; 
no man was received who would leave a wife or little children 
depending on him for support. The debtor jirisons Avere care- 
fully examined, and the worthiest of these unhappy people 
were taken. Four months Avere devoted to this Avork, and the 
best people among the needy j^opulation of England Avere 
chosen to be the first settlers of Georgia. 

The plans for sailing were made Avitli care. November 17, 

1732, the ship Anne (pronounced an), Avliich bore the com- 
pany Avith Oglethorpe at its head,Aveighed anchor and dropped 
doAvn the T'hames River. On board were thirty-five families, 
containing one hundred and thirty persons, bound for the 
New A\'orid. 

The voyage Avas long, taking two months and seven days. 
Prayers Avere offered every morning and night that no accident 
or misfortune should overtake them. At length, January 13, 

1733, their hearts Avere gladdened by the sight of land. They 
had reached the harbor of Charleston. The governor of 
South Carolina gave them a hearty Avelcome, and furnished a 
pilot to conduct them to Port Royal harbor. The next morn- 
ing they continued their voyage, and on the 19th landed at 
Beaufort- town, Avhere they Avere saluted by the artillery. 

[James Edward Oglethorpe belonged to an ancient family in England. 
He was called " a gentleman of luiblemished character, brave, generous, 
and humane." He was born in 1689, and Avhen a young man left college 
to begin the life of a soldier. 

Oglethorpe soon became an ensign of the English army, then a lieuten- 
ant of the first troop of the Queen's Life Guards. Going abroad, he 
enlisted under Prince Eugene, and finally became his aide-de-camp. 



Questions and Topics. 17 

When he returned to England he entered upon very wealthy estates, and 
began political life. He was in Parliament for thirty-two years, and was 
the friend of the unfortunate and oppressed. Ills scheme to found a 
colony for poor debtors in Georgia will ever endear him to the hearts of 
all true philanthropists. No colony in America can point to a founder 
in whose character are more unselfish and generous qualities than are 
found in James Oglethorpe, the father of Georgia. 

"To see a gentleman of his rank and fortune visiting a distant and 
uncultivated land, with no other society but the miserable whom he goes 
to assist, exposing himself freely to the same hardships to which they are 
subjected, in the prime of life, instead of pursuing his pleasures or am- 
bition on an improved and well-concerted i)lan from wliich his country 
must reap the profits, at his own expense and without a view or even a 
possibility of receiving any private advantages from it, must give every 
one who has approved and contributed to the undertaking the highest 
satisfaction ; must convince the world of the disinterested zeal with which 
the settlement is to be made, and entitle him to the truest honor he can 
gain — the perpetual love and applause of mankind."] 



QUESTIONS. 

What can you say of debtors' prisons ? What did Parliament do ? 
Who was on this committee, and what did lie think ? What petition was 
made, and for what ? When did the charter of Georgia receive the Great 
Seal ? What was the first object ? Describe the territory granted. Why 
was the province called Georgia ? Mention two other reasons for locating 
the colony on the Savannah River. What can you say of Oglethorpe's 
hopes for silk culture ? What powers were given the Trustees ? What 
motto did the seal contain ? What were some of the rules made by the 
Trustees ? What did the Trustees ask for ? And what did Parliament 
give them ? Who were rejected and who received as emigrants ? When 
did the emigrants sail ? How many were on board ? Who was with 
them ? When and where did they sight land ? 



TOPICS. 

Tell ahout— 

1. Debtors' prisons. 5. The seal of the Trustees. 

2. Oglethorpe's plans. 6. The rules for the new colony. 

3. What was granted him. 7. How the colonists were chosen. 

4. Tlie charter of Georgia. 8. The voyage across the Atlantic. 

2 



CHAPTER IV 



WHERE AND AVHEX GEORGIA WAS SETTLED. 



" Tho eartli is so fertile that it will l)riiig forth anythinj,' that can be sown or planted in 
it, whether fruits, herbs, or trees. There are wild vines which run up to the tops of the 
tallest trees ; and the countr}^ is so good that one may ride full gallop twenty or thirty 
n\\\f;%.'"'— Journal of Buroti ton Beck, 173U. 



Leaving the emi- 
grants to rest, after 
their long voyage, in 
homes provided by the 
good people of South 
Carolina, Oglethorpe 
took a few friends and 
set out in an Indian 
canoe to find a site for 
his colony. He wound 
in and out among the 
small islands at the 
mouth of the Savannah 
River, and at length 
rowed up to a high 
bluff eighteen miles 
from the sea. Here he 
found a village of Yam- 
trading-house. An old Indian 
and warrior, Tomochichi, looked on him with some 
distrust, and at first would not come near him. Oglethorpe 
found jin Indian woman who could si)eak English, and 




acraw 
chief 



TOMOCHICHI AND UlS NEPUEW. 



Indians and a Carolint 



through her told the Indians that he meant 



])eace 



and 



WHERE AND WHEN GEORGIA WAS SETTLED. 19 

friendship. Tomochichi then welcomed him, and promised 
his aid and protection to the colony. 

Oglethorpe returned to Beaufort for the colonists, and 
February 12, 1733, they arrived at Yamacraw Bluff. On 
landing they all knelt down to offer thanksgiving and j^rayer 
to God. They then bronght their goods ashoi-e, pitched fonr 
large tents, and spent their first night in Georgia. Eising 
early next morning they began work. Trees were cnt down, 
clearings made, and cabins built. In a few weeks fields had 
been planted, forts had been built, and everything looked 
like a busy, thriving jcolony. The city tlins begun was named 
Savannah, after the river on Avhich it Avas situated. Ogle- 
thorpe jiitched a tent for himself under four pine-trees, and 
lived in it for nearly a year. His goodness and wisdom so 
won the hearts and confidence of the colonists that they called 
him father. 

Oglethorpe sent word to the chiefs and warriors of the 
Indian tribes near Savannah that he Avished to make a treaty 
of peace and friendship with them. The head men of eight 
tribes came to Savannah, where they were loaded with j)resents. 
Many useful articles, such as hatchets, hoes, hats, and clothing, 
were given to them, but they admired the gold beads and 
cheap jewelry more than anything else, and were especially 
pleased with gazing at themselves in the lookiug-glasses. 
After feasting and dancing, they made a solemn treaty of 
peace and good-will, binding themselves not to molest the 
colonists in any way whatsoever. Oglethorpe was always kind 
to the Indians, and one of them said : ^^ We. love him because 
he has given us everything that Ave Avant and he has. He has 
given me the coat off his back and the blanket from under 
him." 

After tlie treaty was made, Tomochichi said to Oglethorpe : 
'^ Here is a little present,^' and then gaA^e him a buffalo-skin 
Avith the head and feathers of an eagle painted on the inside. 
He asked him to accept it, saying : " The eagle means speed. 



20 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



and the buffalo means strength. The English are as swift as 
the bird and as strong as the beast. Like the first, they fly 
from the utmost parts of the earth, over the vast seas ; and like 
the second, nothing can withstand them. The feathers of the 
eagle are soft and mean love ; the buffalo's skin is warm and 
means protection. Therefore, love and protect our little 
families/^ 

Oglethorpe thought it would be wise, however, to build a 
fort in the heart of the Indian country, eighteen miles from 



■^mr^ 




ORIGINAL PLAN OF r^AVANNAH. 



Savannah, on the Great Ogeechee River. He selected a place 
where the Indians in their excursions against Carolina had 
been accustomed to ford the stream, and named the fort 
Argyle. This was the second settlement of white people in 
Georgia. In addition to the soldiers, ten families were sent 
down to build dwellings and cultivate the land around the fort. 
In a few months emigrant ships began to arrive from 
England and elsewhere. The first of these, commanded by 
Captain Yoakley, brought needed supplies of food, clothing, 
and tools, and was given the prize of a gold cup offered by the 



Where and When Georgia was Settled. 21 

Trustees for the first ship unloading at Yamacraw. The next 
one brought over two hundred and fifty emigrants. This was 
so hirge an addition to the town that in July, 1733, the 
colonists met on the bluff to enlarge the limits of Savannah, to 
lay off lots, to run streets and name them. Some of the 
streets in Savannah still bear the names given them on that 
day. While they were engaged in this work another ship 
came up the river and landed forty Israelites, who asked per- 
mission to join the colony. This was granted. 

Eight months afterward a ship arrived at Savannah, bring- 
ing a band of Salzburgers, who had been cast out of Germany 
on account of their religion. They were warmly welcomed by 
the colonists. Finding a ^^lace that suited them, they settled 
on the banks of a small creek flowing into the Savannah River, 
twenty-five miles above the city. They named their town 
Ebenezer, which means "^^ stone of help." That place is now 
in Effingham County. 

Fifteen months had now passed since the first landing at 
Yamacraw. During that time Savannah was laid out and 
improved ; Fort Argyle was built ; Abercorn, Highgate, and 
Hampstead were settled as small villages on the Savannah 
River ; Ebenezer was founded, and a light-house was built on 
Tybee Island. Farms were started, silk-growing was com- 
menced, and although everything Avas in the rough state of a 
new colony, on all sides could be seen thrift and happiness. 

[Toniochichi was the noble and aged chief of the small tribe of Yama- 
craw Indians, He belonged to the tribe of the Lower Creeks, but they 
had banished him, along with others, for some political cause. He had 
settled with them near the mouth of the Savannah River, and by them 
was chosen Mico or chief. He was ninety-one years old, but tall, vigor- 
ous, dignified, and manly. He was a true friend to the colonists, and 
aided them in making treaties with other tribes of Indians. Let us not 
forget that while Oglethorpe deserves every praise as the leader of the 
colonists, yet this aged Indian chief made the colony possible by his 
guarantee of safety and friendship to the colonists, and to him is due the 
lasting gratitude of their descendants.] 



22 HISTORY OF GEORCrlA. 

[During llio years from 1729 to 1732 nearly tliirty thousand German 
Salzburgers were driven from their homes by the persecutions of Leo- 
pold on account of differences in religious belief. Some of these wander- 
ers engaged the sympathies of the Trustees, who offered homes to them 
iu the colony of Georgia. Forty-two families agreed to come, Baron von 
Reck leading theui. They left Dover December, 1733, and reached 
Charleston in ]\Iarch, 1734. Oglethorpe happened to be there at fehe 
time, and welcomed them. They desired to settle somewhere, at a dis- 
tance from the sea, in a hilly country where there were springs of water. 
They selected a spot forty miles from the ocean, where they could rest 
aud worship God according to the Wciys approved by their own conscience.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What did Oglethorpe now set out to find ? What did he find at Yama- 
craw ? 'What can you say of Tomochichi ? When did the colonists land 
at Yamacraw ? What was first done ? What was done the next day ? 
What was the city named, and why ? What did Oglethorpe i)itch for 
himself ? What did the colonists call him ? What treaty did Oglethorpe 
make ? What did the Indians think of Oglethorpe ? What did Tomo- 
chichi give Oglethorpe, and what did he say ? What fort was built soon 
after ? Where, and why ? What emigrants arrived soon after ? After 
the arrival of further emigrants, what was done ? Wlio asked permission 
to join the colony ? By whom was Ebenezer settled ? What was the 
condition of Georgia after fifteen months ? 



Georgia was founded — 



TOPICS. 



As a relief to delators and worthy poor. 
Why? ■' To colonize disputed territory. 
' To encourage silk-growing. 

I Oglethorpe. 
By wJioiii ? A The honest poor of England. 

' The worthy imprisoned debtors. 

C Savannah. 
Where ? ■] Fort Argyle. 
' Ebenezer. 

When ? February 12, 1733. 

{Let the pupils, write a composition from the above outline.) 



CHAPTER Y. 

now THE COLOI^Y GREW. 

So sweet the air, so moderate the clime, 
None sickly livfes, or dies before his time ; 
Heaven, sure, lias kept this spot of earth uncurst 
To show how all things were created first." 

—Waller. 




JOHN WESLEY. 



After an absence of fifteen 
months Oglethorpe resolved to 
visit England. He invited Tomo- 
chichi, his wife and nephew, and 
several chiefs to go with him. 
When they reached England, Ogle- 
thorpe was welcomed by the Trns- 
tees and people with every mark 
of affection and regard. The In- 
dians excited a great deal of inter- 
est and were well cared for. They 
were given suits of clothing and presents of many kinds, were 
entertained by the nobility, and were presented to the king. 
Tomochichi gave the king a bunch of eagle feathers, saying : 
'* These are the feathers of the eagle, which is the swiftest of 
])irds, and which flieth all around our nations. These feathers 
are a sign of peace in our land, and have been carried from 
town to town there, and we have brought them over to leave 
with you, great King ! as a sign of everlasting peace. '^ The 
Indians were much impressed with the riches of the people of 
England, and especially with the strength of their houses. 
Tomochichi said that he coulcl, not understand why people 



24 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

who would live so short a time should build houses that would 
last so long. 

After a visit of four months the Indians returned to Georgia, 
but Oglethorpe stayed in England to attend to some business 
for the colony. In January^ 1735, Oglethorpe sent over a 
colony of Swiss and Moravian emigrants, who settled near Fort 
Argyle on the Ogeechee Eiver. He also decided to found a 
town for a number of Scotch Highlanders who wanted to come 
to Georgia. A band of these hardy mountaineers sailed from 
Scotland in January, 1736, and settled on the Altamaha River. 
They named their town Xew Inverness and the district Darien. 
Upon their arrival in Savannah some of the Carolinians had 
tried to dissuade them from going so far south, saying : '' The 
Spaniards from the houses in their forts will shoot you upon 
the spot chosen for your future home.'' The brave Scotch 
replied : ^' Why, then we will beat them out of their forts, and 
shall have houses ready built to live in. '' 

In 1736 Oglethorpe returned, bringing two hundred and 
twenty-five persons and two ship-loads of supplies. One hun- 
dred and twenty-five settlers were Germans, and were sent to 
Ebenezer. Twenty-five Moravians were added to the settle- 
ment of Fort Argyle on the Ogeechee River. John and Charles 
Wesley came with Oglethorj^e on his return to Georgia for the 
purpose of preaching the Gospel. Both of them went back to 
England after a short period. 

A colony was next established in February, 1736, on St. 
Simon's Island, at the mouth of the Altamaha River. It was 
called Frederica, in honor of Frederick, Prince of Wales. A 
fort was built there for the defence of the colony on the south. 

Oglethorpe went up to Ebenezer to visit the Salzburgers. 
They had moved to a new place called Xew Ebenezer, nearer 
the Savannah River, where he found their colony in fine order. 
These Germans were a hard-working people who were sure to 
prosper. He went over to New Inverness to visit the Scotch 
Highlanders. As a compliment to them he wore a "plaid suit. 



Ho^y THE Colony Grew. 



25 



The captain of the settlement wanted Oglethorpe to sleep on 
the bed in his tent, bnt Oglethorpe excnsed himself, and though 
the weather was cold, lay down 
in front of the guard fire all 
night. 

Wishing to know more of the 
coast of Georgia, Oglethorpe 
and a party of friends, with 
several Indians, explored the 
islands south of St. Simon^s. 
They visited Jekyl Island, and 
built a fort on its northern side. 
The next island an Indian of 
the party wished named for 
the Duke of Cumberland. A. 
fort was built here also and 
turned over to the Highland- 
ers, The next was a beautiful 
island, which Oglethorpe named 
Amelia. The knowledge of the 
coasts served Oglethorpe well 
in troubles with the Spaniards, 
which came on soon afterwards. 

By orders of Oglethorpe, a 
military post was marked out 
and established far up the Sa- 
vannah River in 1735. It was 
called Augusta in honor of one 
of the royal princesses. This 
was the beginning of the present 

city of Augusta. Roger de Lacey, an agent among the 
Indians, was the first settler. This place soon grew into 
importance as a centre for Indian trade. 

Four years had now passed. The Trustees had sent to 
Georgia over one thousand persons. Fifty-seven thousand 




3IAP SHOWING THE FORTS ALONG THE 
ATLANTIC COAST. 



26 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

acres of land liud been granted. Five principal towns had 
been built, viz. : Savannah, Xew Ebenezer, New Inverness, 
Frederica, Augusta. Forts had been erected on the islands of 
the coasts, and along the Altamaha Eiver. Treaties had been 
made with the Indians, and their friendship obtained. So far 
all was going well with the new colony of Georgia. 

Let us turn aside from the thriving colony of Georgia, and 
take a view of the general condition of the Xew AVorld at this 
time. We see a narrow semicircle of scattered European 
settlements stretched along the Atlantic Ocean. The vast 
interior of America was all a wild, unknown country, in- 
habited by tribes of Indians. Over a hundred years before 
Georgia was founded, the English made their first permanent 
settlement at Jamestown, Virginia ; the Pilgrims landed at 
Plymouth Kock and founded Massachusetts ; ^laryland was 
also occupied by the English, as well as Xew Hampshire, Con- 
necticut, Khode Island. The Dutch landed on Manhattan 
Island and laid the foundations of the State of Xew York. 
The Danes and Swedes settled in Kew Jersey and Delaware, 
and the Quakers, led by William Penn, founded the State of 
Pennsylvania. Explorers from Virginia crossed the border 
and began the colony of North Carolina, which was followed 
thirty years later by the settlement of South Carolina. To 
these twelve colonies Georgia was joined as the thirteenth, 
and on that account has been called " the last of the Original 
Thirteen." 

[The voyHy;c of Ogletliorpe witli the Salz])urgers and Moravians was 
long and stormy. On one occasion llie sea broke over the vessel 
from stem to stern, burst through tlie windows of the state cabin, and 
drenched the inmates. A week later another storm occurred, and one of 
the waves came near washing John Wesley overboard. In all these 
storms and dangers the Moravians were calm and unterrified. The 
tempest began on Sunday, just as they had commenced their service. 
The sea broke over the ship, split the mainsail, and poured down into the 
vessel. The English screamed, but the Germans sang on. "Were you 
not afraid ? " said Weslev to one of them. •• 1 thank God, no." "But 



QUESTIONS AND TOPICS. %1 

were not your women and children afraid ?" *' Ko," he replied ; "our 
women and children are not afraid to die." Mr. Wesley afterward said 
that the example of these Moravians exerted so good an influence over 
him as to make him doubt if he were really converted before he met 
them.] 

[Previous to the establishment of Augusta, as early as 1716, there 
was near this point a Carolina trading-station called Fort Moore, or 
Savannah Town. It was named for the tribe of Sawanno or Savannah 
Indians, living near by. It was on the Carolina side of the river, about 
four miles below the present town of Hamburg. Goods were brought by 
land and water from Charleston. A laced hat was exchanged with 
the Indians for eight buckskins ; a calico petticoat for twelve buckskins ; 
and so great was the desire for salt, gunpowder, kettles, rum, looking- 
glasses, that the traders were allowed to exact of the savages all they 
were willing to give in exchange.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What did Oglethorpe now resolve to do ? Whom did he invite to go 
with him ? How were the Indians treated ? What did Tomochichi say 
to the king ? How long did the Indians stay in England ? Whom did 
Oglethorpe send over in January, 1735 ? What can you say of the 
Scotch Highlanders ? Whom did Oglethorpe bring with him on his 
return ? Whei'e did they settle ? What two men came over to preach 
the Gospel ? When and wliere was Frederica established ? What two 
places did Oglethorpe visit ? What of his explorations along the coasts ? 
When and where was Augusta established ? What can you say of the 
condition of the colonists after four years had passed ? What was the 
condition of European settlements in America at this time ? Name the 
twelve States founded before Georgia. What is Georgia often called ? 

TOPICS. 

First Settlers. Wliere ? First Settlements. By ivhom ? 
English. Savannah. 

Swiss and Moravians. Fort Argyle. 

Scotch Highlanders. , Ebenezer. 
Salzburgers. Frederica. 

Jews. New InvernesSo 

Augusta. 



CHAPTER VI. 

TROUBLE WITH THE SPANIARDS. — OGLETHORPE INVADES 
FLORIDA. 

"One man tliore is, my Lords, whose natural generosity, contempt of danger, and 
regard for the public prompted him to obviate the designs of the Spanish and to attack 
them in their own territories ; a man whom by long acquaintance I can confidently 
affirm to have been equal to his undertaking, and to have learned the art of war by a 
regular education, who yet miscarried in the design only for want of supplies necessary 
to a possibility of success."— Duke of Argyle (speaking of Oglethorpe). 

The Spaniards had not given up their daim to the territory 
of Georgia. As the English colony grew larger and built 
forts on the islands and along the rivers, the Spaniards in 
Florida became more and more jealous. Finally the king of 
Spain sent a message to the king of England to allow no 
more forts to be built in Georgia and to send no soldiers there. 
When this message was read in the King's Council, the Duke 
of Argyle said : '* This should be answered, but not in the 
usual way — the reply should be a fleet of battle-ships on the 
coast of Spain. ^' Spain threatened to invade and put an 
end to the colony of Georgia. England then declared war, 
October, 1739. 

Fearing that the French and S2)aiiish would alienate the 
good will of the Indians, Oglethor])e decided to go in person 
to a great meeting of the warriors at Coweta Town, three 
hundred miles from Savannah. Seven thousand warriors were 
to be present, and the safety of Georgia depended on their 
friendship. The journey was long and dangerous, but 
Oglethorpe did not allow the perils to deter him. With a few 
chosen friends he set out in July, 1739. Following the river 
for twenty-five miles, the party landed and submitted to the 



ATTACK ON ST. AUGUSTINE. 29 

guidance of Indian traders. Across deep ravines, through 
tangled undergrowth and deep swamps where the horses would 
mire up, the travellers toiled for many weary weeks. Often 
they had to build rafts on which to cross the streams. The 
smaller ones they swam or waded through. At night Ogle- 
thorpe would wrap himself in his cloak, lay his head upon his 
saddle, and sleep on the ground. If it happened to be wet, he 
sought shelter under the trees or under tents made of cypress 
boughs. For over two hundred miles they neither saw a 
human dwelling nor met a living soul. At their journey's 
end the Indians met them with every expression of love and 

joy- 

Oglethorpe soon won the hearts of the red men, and he 
made firm treaties of peace and friendship with them. As 
one of their beloved men, he drank of their black medicine 
and smoked the calumet, or pipe of peace. The importance 
of this treaty, in view of the approaching' troubles with the 
Spaniards, cannot be overestimated. 

The Spaniards began the war by landing a party of men on 
Amelia Island and killing two unarmed men who were en- 
gaged in carrying wood. After cutting off the heads and man- 
gling the bodies of the men, they fled to their boats and sailed 
away. OglethorjDc called out a thousand soldiers and a troop 
of horse, and with a regiment of Highlanders went in pursuit 
of the Spaniards. lie followed them up the St. John's Eiver, 
burned all their boats, and drove them into the city of St. 
Augustine. He then returned to Frederica. 

Oglethorpe next organized a large force of Indians and 
colonists to invade Florida, December, 1739. Going up the 
St. John's River, he sent before him a party of Indian scouts, 
w^ho fell upon a small fort of the Spaniards at daylight and 
burned it to the ground. Going further, another fort was 
attacked and captured. This gave Oglethorpe possession of 
the St. John's River, and cut off the Spaniards in St. Augus- 
tine from their Indian allies. 



30 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



Oglethorpe made u}-) his mind to attack St. Augustine itself. 
In May, 1740, he left jb'rederica with nine hundred men and 
eleven hundred Indians, life ca])tured first Fort St. Diego, 
nine miles from St. Augustine, with fifty-seven men and nine 
cannon. Fort Moosa, two miles from St. Augustine, was 
abandoned by the Spaniards when they heard of the ap- 
proach of Oglethorpe, and the garrison retreated to the city. 




.1) GATEWAY AT ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. 



lie summoned tlie commander at St. Augustine to surrender. 
The commander replied : "' I will be glad to shake hands with 
Oglethorpe in the castle.'^ 

Oglethorpe decided to attack the city both by land and sea. 
After making all arrangements and drawing tlie land troops 
up in order and giving the signal for the attack, it was found 
that the sliips could not get close enough to the city to sujiport 



Attack on St. Augustine. 31 

the land forces. Accordingly, the plan of storming the city 
was abandoned, and a siege was begun. 

In order to prevent any help reaching the city, Oglethorpe 
ordered one of his officers. Colonel Palmer, to take a body of 
men ,and scour the country ; to be always on the march, show- 
ing himself everywhere ; to pick up stragglers, cut off all sup- 
i)lies, deceive the enemy as to the strength of his force, and 
not rest two nights in the same place. Colonel Palmer dis- 
obeyed this last order, and stayed three nights at Fort Moosa. 
The Spanish heard that he was there, and surprised his men 
early one morning, killing over twenty of them, and recap- 
turing the fort. This opened the way for supplies of food, of 
which the people already stood in need, to reach the city. Ogle- 
thorpe how resolved to storm the city. For twenty days his 
batteries threw shot and shell into the city. At the end of 
this time a fleet from Cuba came to the relief of the Spaniards. 
Moreover, many of his soldiers were sick, the climate was very 
hot, the Indians were growing restless, and Oglethorpe himself 
was not well. 

The attack on St. iVugustine was therefore reluctantly aban- 
doned, and the English returned to Frederica, Jnly, 1740. 
Oglethorpe had lost only fifty men, while the Spaniards had 
lost four hundred and fifty men and four forts. 

[To show the danger to which General Oglethorpe was exposed, the 
following story is told of his escape from the murderous designs of the 
dissatisfied soldiers. When Oglethorpe was on Cumberland Island 
superintending the building of forts and earthworks, he was one day 
standing at the door of his hut conversing with an officer, Captain 
Mackay. One of the soldiers came up and in a rude and impertinent 
manner demanded more rations. Oglethorpe replied : "We have given 
you all we promised, which is enough ; but if you need more, this rude 
speech and disrespectful behavior is not the proper way to get it." The 
man thereupon became very insolent. Captain Mackay drew his sword, 
but the soldier caught it. broke it in half, and threw the hilt at the 
captain's head. Rushing to the barracks, he seized a loaded gun, and 
crying out, ''One and all," with five others ran back toward Oglethorpe. 



32 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

When they had approached quite near, one of them fired, the ball pass- 
ing close to Oglethorpe's ear, the powder burning his clothes. Another 
aimed liis piece, but it missed fire. A third drew his sword and thrust it 
at the general, who. having drawn his own sword, parried the thrust. 
At this time an officer rushed up and ran the ruffian through the body. 
The others fled, but were caught, tried, and shot for their mutinous con- 
duct and murderous assault.] 

QUESTIONS. 

How did the Spaniards in Florida feel about the colony of Georgia ? 
What message was sent by Spain to the king of England ? How was it 
answered ? W^hen was war declared V Tell the story of Oglethorpe's 
travels to meet the Indians. Wliat treaty did he make with them ? How 
did the Spaniards begin the war ? What did Oglethorpe do ? What did 
Oglethorpe then prepare to do? Of what did he gain possession? How? 
What were the preparations for the capture of St. Augustine ? What 
forts were captured ? Why was not the attack on St. Augustine success- 
ful ? What did Oglethorpe direct Colonel Palmer to do ? How was 
Colonel Palmer captured ? How was the city stormed ? Why was the 
siege abandoned ? 

TOPICS. 

I'tU about — 

1. The cause of the Spanish War. 4. The way Oglethorpe continued 

2. Oglethorpe's visit to the In- the war. 

dians. 5. The way St. Augustine was 

3. The way the Spaniards began attacked and relieved. 

the war. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE SPANIARDS INVADE GEORGIA. 

"We are resolsed not to suffer defeat ; we will rather die like Leonidas and his Spartans, 
if we can but protect Georgia and Carolina and the rest of the Americans from desola- 
tion."— Oglethokpe. 

The Spaniards soon jirepared to carry out their threat to 
put an end to the colony of Georgia, but nearly two years 
passed before everything was ready. A great fleet of fifty-six 
ships, with seven thousand men on board, was fitted out at 
Havana, and set sail for St. Augustine. Oglethorpe heard of 
it at Frederica, and at once sent a request to South Carolina 
for troops. He collected all the guns, powder, and cannon of 
the colony, and called together his Indian allies and a regiment 
of Highland soldiers. Thus prepared, he fortified his camp at 
Frederica, and Avaited for the coming of the enemy. June, 
1742, nine of the Spanish ships appeared in Amelia Sound, 
but were driven away by the guns of the fort on Cumberland 
Island. They next appeared in Cumberland Sound, but 
Oglethorpe, with six boats and a hundred men, again drove 
them off. 

A large fleet of thirty-six vessels, with over five thousand 
men, appeared near St. Simon's Island, June 28tli, but made 
no movement to attack until July 5th. The flood tide then 
brought the fleet in beautiful array into the harbor. The 
Spaniards raised the red flag, and landed their troops on the 
southern end of the island. Here they lolanted a battery of 
eighteen guns. 

Oglethorpe abandoned Fort St. Simon, having spiked all the 
guns and ruined all the powder. The troops fell back to Fred- 
3 



34 History of Georgia. 

erica, and made ready to meet the attack of the Spaniards. He 
liad only six hundred and fifty men to oppose the Spanish army. 

July Tth^ a scout announced a party of the enemy within 
two miles of Frederica. Oglethorpe sallied forth to meet them 
in the woods. Taking them by surprise, he killed or captured 
nearly all the advance force. Oglethorpe took two j^risoners 
with his own hands. Pushing on several miles toward the 
main body, he laid an ambush in the woods. Before long 
"the enemy came in sight, halted within the defile where the 
ambush was, and, stacking their arms, some began to cook 
their meals and others lay down to rest. One of their horses 
noticed a uniform in the bushes, and by rearing and pitching, 
gave the alarm. Oglethorpe then gave the signal of attack. 
A deadly fire was poured down upon the unprepared enemy. 
They fled in all directions, but were met by the bayonet of the 
soldier and the scalping-knife of the Indian warrior. So com- 
plete was their surprise that many fled without their arms. 
The ground was strewed with the dead. Next morning an 
escai^ed prisoner told Oglethorpe that the Spaniards had lost 
two hundred and fifty-nine men. From this victory and the 
great slaughter of the Spanish the 2)lace was afterward called 
Bloody Marsh. 

Though his forces were small, Oglethorpe noAv resolved to 
surprise the Spaniards by night. He advanced to within a 
mile and a half of their camp, when a Frenchman, who, with- 
out Oglethorpe's knowledge, had come with the volunteers, 
fired off his gun and ran into the Spanish camp. The Indians 
pursued the man, but could not overtake him. Oglethorpe 
then hastily retreated. He knew this deserter would tell the 
enemy of the real strength and position of his army, and he 
thought of a plan to thwart his treason. He sent a letter to 
him, written in French, urging him by all means to persuade 
the Spaniards to the attack, to speak of the smallness of his 
forces, and the exposure of his position ; or, at least, to per- 
suade them to remain three days longer on the island, when 



THE SPANIARDS INVADE GEORGIA. 



35 



other troops would arrive, and he could make an attack upon 
them. 

Handing this letter to a Spanish prisoner, he told him to 
give it to the deserter who was a spy in the Spanish camp. 
He then gave the prisoner his liberty. The letter, of course, 
we]it at once to the Spanish headquarters. It there produced 
such alarm among the Spaniards that they hastily went aboard 




BETHESDA ORPHAN ASYLLM (REBUILT IN 1854), NEAR SAVANNAH. 



their ships and sailed away, forgetting in their hurry part of 
their arms and ammunition. In this way ended the Spanish 
invasion of Georgia, July 14, 1742. That a small force of six 
or seven hundred should have put to flight an army of five 
thousand soldiers, was a wonderful achievement. A noted 
minister, Whitefield, said : ''The deliverance of Georgia from 



36 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

the Spaniards is such as cannot be paralleled but by some 
instance out of the Old Testament." 

After the Spanish war, Oglethorpe was called to England on 
business. He took with him a quantity of raw silk made in the 
colony, which pleased the Trustees very much. With this silk 
a dress was made for the Queen of England, who wore it to one 
of her receptions, in honor of Oglethorpe and the new colony. 
Oglethorpe never came back to Georgia. War with France 
occurring in 1754, King George II. made him a brigadier- 
general. He also became major-general, and one of the com- 
panies in his command was named the Georgia Eangers. In 
1765, having i:>assed through the grade of lieutenant-general, 
he was made commander-in-chief of all his Majesty's forces. 
By many it was said that he was offered command of the armies 
sent to subdue the American colonies in the war of the Revo- 
lution. This he declined, saying he knew ''the Americans 
well ; that they never would be subdued by force, but that 
obedience would be secured by doing them justice.'' He lived 
to see Georgia an independent State. In the ninety-seventh 
year of his age he died, full of 
years and honor. 

Among the honored names of 
the early history of Georgia we 
must not forget that of the 
young English preacher. Rev. 
George Whitefield. When Jolm 
AVesley was in Georgia and need- 
ed lielp with his work among 
the Indians and the settlers of 

the new colony, he wrote to george whitefield. 

Whitefield: '"What if thou art 

the man, Mr. Whitefield ? Do you ask me what you shall 
have ? Food to eat and raiment to put on ; a house to lay 
your head in such as your Lord had not, and a crown of 
glory that fadeth not away." Whitefield came in the next 




OGLETHORPE LEAVES GEORGIA. 37 

ship, and with him came James Habersham and a troop of 
soldiers. 

When he arrived he fonnd that John Wesley had resigned 
and returned to England. He turned his attention at once to 
the erection of an orphan asylum. The Trustees granted him 
five hundred acres of land about ten miles from Savannah. 
Upon that tract, in 1741, the orphan asylum was built and 
named Bethesda, '' house of mercy.'' Forty orphans entered 
at first, and the number increased to one hundred and fifty. 
Whitefield raised money for the building from many sources, 
preaching all over England and America. He was very 
eloquent, so much so that Lord Chesterfield said: '^He is the 
greatest orator I ever heard, and I cannot conceive of a 
greater." The orphan asylum was burned after several years, 
but was rebuilt, and is still a lasting monument to the inspi- 
ration and generosity of its founder. 

[Of George Whitefield's eloquence in raising money for his asyhim, 
Benjamin Franklin wrote : 

" I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the course of 
which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently 
resolved that he should get nothing from me. I had in my pocket a 
handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles of 
gold. As he proceeded, I began to soften, and concluded to give the 
copper. Another stroke of oratory made me ashamed of that and 
determined me to give the silver ; and he finished so admirably that I 
emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all."] 

[Miss Hannah Moore writes : "I have got a new admirer; it is the 
famous General Oglethorpe, perhaps the most remarkable man of his 
time. He is much above ninety years old ; the finest figure of a man 
you ever saw. He perfectly realizes all my ideas of Nestor. His litera- 
ture is great, his knowledge of the world extensive, and his faculties as 
bright as ever. He is quite a preiix chevalier, heroic, romantic, and full 
of the old gallantry." 

The following are Pope's lines on Oglethorpe : 

" Hail, Oglethorpe ! with nobler triumphs crowned 
Than ever were in camps or sieges found — 



38 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Thy great example shall through ages sliine, 
A fav'rite theme with poet and divine ; 
People unborn thy merits shall proclaim. 
And add new honors to thy deathless name." 

•■ His Ijody reposes within Cranham Church, and a memorial ta))let 
proclaims his excellence; but here the Savannah repeats to the Altamaha 
the story of his virtues and his valor, and the Atlantic publishes to the 
mountains the greatness of his fame, for all Georgia is his living, speak- 
ing monument/*] 

QUESTIONS. 

With what preparations did the Sj)anish i)ropose to invade Georgia ? 
What did Oglethorpe do to meet this armament ? _ Where did the 
Spanish first appear ? Where next ? What appeared June 28th, near 
St. Simon's ? What happened July 5th ? Where did the enemy land ? 
What did Oglethorpe do ? How many men did he have ? How were the 
Spanish first defeated ? Relate the incident of the ambush at Bloody 
Marsh. How was the night surprise prevented by a deserter ? How did 
Oglethorpe thwart his treason ? To whom did he give the letter ? What 
effect did it produce ? W^hat did Whitefield say of the deliverance of 
Georgia ? After the Spanish war, where did Oglethorpe go ? What can 
you say of his after life ? What did he say of the Americans in 1765 ? 
What did he live to see ? When did he die, and how old was he ? What 
can you say of George Whitefield ? What did he come to Georgia for ? 
What did the Trustees grant him ? How did he raise the money ? What 
did he found near Savannah ? 



TOPICS. 

Spanish Inrasion — 

1. Preparations. 5. The effect of it. 

2. Landing at St. Simon. 6. Oglethorpe's return to England. 

3. Ambush at Bloody Marsh. 7. Tell about the Bethesda Orphan 

4. The decov letter. Asvlum. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE ADMIXISTRATION^ OF PRESIDENT STEPHENS. — THE LABOR 
QUESTION. — THE BOSOMWORTH CLAIM. 



"I once thought it was unhxwful to keep negro slaves, but I am now induced to think 
God maj^ have a higher end in permitting them to be brought to this Christian country, 
than merely to support their masters." — James Habersham. 

About two years 
"""-^ ~ ^ ' before Oglethorpe's de- 

parture the Trustees 
had changed the plan 
of government and had 
divided Georgia into 
two counties, Savannah 
and Frederica. These 
were the first counties 
in Georgia, and each 
was to have a presi- 
dent with four assist- 
ants. Savannah 
County included all the territory north of Darien. Frederica 
County included Darien and all the territory south. William 
Stephens was appointed president of the county of Savannah. 
No appointments were made for Frederica County, because 
General Oglethorpe lived on St. Simon's Island, and he still 
retained his authority over the whole colony. 

When Oglethorpe returned to England, in 1743, the j^lan of 
having a president in each county was abandoned, and Colonel 
Stephens was appointed by the Trustees president of Georgia. 
As president he had a grand title, a small salary, and little real 




A SETTLER S CABIN. 



40 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

power. The Trustees goverued the colon}', and he and his 
assistants merely represented them in enforcing their rules 
and regulations or in deciding controversies and disputes. 

During the first six years of President Stephens' adminis- 
tration the colony did not prosper. No new settlers were 
sent over, because contributions to pay their expenses had 
ceased, and great dissatisfaction existed among the colonists. 
This dissatisfaction was due to the regulations of the Trustees 
prohibiting the use of negro slaves, prohibiting the sale of 
rum, and restricting the right of a colonist to mortgage or 
sell his lands. In order to understand the feelings of the 
people, it must be remembered that just across the Savannah 
River was the colony of South Carolina, and further north on 
the Atlantic coast were eleven other English colonies where 
none of these restrictions existed. In Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, and every other English colony, the 
people owned slaves, could purchase rum, and could dispose 
of their land as they pleased. These facts made the regula- 
tions of the Trustees appear all the more unreasonable to the 
Georgia colonists, and many abandoned their lands and 
crossed over into South Carolina, where they could enjoy the 
coveted privileges. 

Although the Trustees prohibited the use of negro slaves in 
Georgia, they permitted and encouraged the employment of 
white servants. These white servants were brought over 
under contracts, called indentures or articles, by which they 
bound themselves to work for their employers for several years, 
usually four. At the end of that time each received a portion 
of land for himself. These servants, because of the cont,racts 
which they signed, were called ''articled" or ''indented'' 
servants. Their labor was very unsatisfactory. Many of 
them were idle and would not Avork ; others could not stand 
the heat and the malaria of the swamps. Many ran away to 
Carolina and to the other colonies, where they could procure 
land for themselves on easy terms. 



President Stephens' s Administration. 41 

As early as June, 1 735, a petition was sent to the Trustees 
asking that the use of negro slaves be permitted, but the 
request Avas promptly refused. In December, 1738, another 
petition was sent to the Trustees for permission to use slaves 
with proper limitations, but counter-petitions were presented 
by the Salzburgers at Ebenezer and by the Highlanders of 
Darien, stating that they were content with the present laws 
and wished no change. This permission was also refused. 
The Trustees would not allow the colonists even to hire 
negroes owned in South Carolina. Those who desired slaves, 
however, continued their petitions, and even sent Thomas 
Stephens, a son of President Stephens, to England, to secure 
a repeal of the regulation. Rev. George Whitefield, who had 
at first opposed slave labor, became convinced that it was 
necessary for the existence of the colony, and that it was 
really a Christian act to bring these Africans to America and 
convert and civilize them. His whole influence was exerted 
in favor of the petitions being granted. The Trustees con- 
tinued firm in their refusal. 

After nearly fifteen years, however, the Trustees became 
convinced that they must yield. Even the Rev. Mr. Bolzius, 
pastor of the Salzburgers at Ebenezer, wrote to the Trustees 
in 1748: ^^ Things being now in such a melancholy state, I 
must humbly beseech your Honors not to regard any more our 
or our friends' petitions against negroes. '^ They therBfore 
decided to petition his Majesty for a repeal of the objection- 
able act, under certain conditions. A letter was written to 
President Stephens and his assistants, submitting to them a 
copy of these conditions. A convention of the colonists was 
called to consider the matter, and Major Horton, of Fred- 
erica, presided over its deliberations. The suggestions of the 
Trustees were approved, and a petition Avas signed by tAventy- 
seven persons of the highest standing in the province, 
requesting that slavery be alloAved at once under the proposed 
conditions. 



42 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

These conditions briefly were : that the colonists should ein- 
joloy one white man-servant for every four male slaves ; that 
they should teach slaves no trade that would interfere with 
white citizens ; that inhuman treatment should be prevented ; 
and that moral and religious instruction should be given 
them. A condition added by the convention was that a pen ■ 
alty of ten j^ounds should Ijc paid by every master who forced 
or permitted a slave to work on the Lord's Day, and that if 
he failed to compel his slave to attend church at some time 
on Sunday he should be fined five pounds for each oft'ence. 
Upon these conditions the petition was granted, and slaves were 
by law admitted into Georgia on the 26tli of October, 1749. 

The regulation against the sale of rum and other distilled 
liquors was soon repealed ; and finally, on the 25th of May, 
1750, the regulations concerning the holding of land were 
modified so that the owner had the power to mortgage or sell 
at his pleasure. Thus the Trustees were finally compelled, 
by circumstances, to abandon three of their most important 
regulations for the colony of Georgia. 

In 1740 the colony Avas for a time in constant dread of 
an attack from the Indians, and the story of the cause of the 
trouble is full of interest. Rev. Thonuis Bosom worth, one of 
the ministei'S sent out to the colony, had nuirried Mary Mus- 
grove, the Creek woman who had acted as interpreter for Ogle- 
thorpe when he first met the Indians at Vamacraw. Before 
her marriage to l^osomworth she had been very friendly to 
the whites, and had been employed as interpreter. After her 
marriage to him, he persuaded her to present a bill against 
the colony for five thousand pounds for her services, and for 
damages to the property of her first husband. He also 
induced^ her to claim to be an Indian princess and empress 
of the Creek Indians. She demanded a tract of land oppo- 
site Savannah, and three islands on the coast, St. C^itherine's, 
Ossabaw, and Sapelo, which had been reserved by the Indians 
ioY bathing and fishing. 



President ^Stephens' s Ad^iinistration. 43 

President Stephens avouIcI not recognize her as a princess, 
and refused to pay her chiims or to surrender the hind and 
ishmds. She then appealed to the Indians, and having col- 
lected a large band, marched at their head to Savannah and 
demanded her rights. By her side was the Rev. Thomas Bos- 
omworth, clothed in his white robes as a priest of the Church 
of England. Immediately following her came the kings and 
chiefs of the lower Creeks in war-paint and feathers, and after 
them a large band of warriors, all fully armed. 

The people were very much alarmed at the presence of this 
large body of savages, and a bloody battle was expected every 
moment. President Stephens called out the soldiers, and 
when the Indians arrived, he boldly demanded that they 
should give up their arms before they came into the town.. 
To this the Indians agreed. Shortly after they entered the 
town, Mary and her husband were separated from them and 
locked up. President Stephens then addressed the Indians in 
a quiet, friendly way, showing them that Mary was no prin- 
cess, and that the islands and land which she claimed as hers 
were the property of the Creek Nation. In this way the Indi- 
ans Avere satisfied, and declared their friendship for the whites. 
Presents were then distributed, and they departed in peace. 

Bosomworth and his wife went to England to prosecute 
their claim before the Trustees and the King. His case was 
carried into the courts, and was a source of trouble for many 
years. Finally, however, Mary was awarded, nearly two thou- 
sand pounds in full payment of the damages to her property 
and for her services to the colony, and St. Catherine's Island 
was given to her. There they both died, and are buried side 
by side on the seashore, where their graves may be seen to-day. 
Their demands are known as the "Bosomworth Claim. '^ 

[William Stephens was the son of a baronet who was lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of the Isle of Wight, at which place he was born in 1G71. He was 
remarkable for his gentle manners even when a boy. He studied law and 
was a member of Parliament. He was highly respected by his neighbors 



44 HISTORY OF OFOnGIA. 

and was often called on to settle their disputes. Wlien about forty years 
of age he came to South Carolina to survey a i)iece of land. Here he 
met General Ogletliorpe, who was so pleased with him that he asked the 
Trustees to appoint him tlieir secretary in Georgia. Accordingly he 
came to Savannah and took general charge of their affairs. When Ogle- 
thorpe left he became president of the colony, though he was over seventy 
years of age at the time.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What were the first two counties ? When were they formed ? Why ? 
What appointments were made for them ? What followed Oglethorpe's 
return to England ? What of the first six years of Stephens's adminis- 
tration ? What caused dissatisfaction ? What of the white servants ? 
What petitions were presented ? What convention was held ? On what 
conditions were slaves admitted ? What other regulations were aban- 
doned ? Who was Tliomas Bosomworth ? Who was his wife ? What 
did she claim '? What did President Stephens answer ? What followed 
his refusal ? What finallv l:)ecame of the Bosomworths ? 



TOPICS. 

Let the pupil tell — 

1. How Stephens became presi- 3. How slavery was admitted. 

dent. 4. The story of the Bosomworth 

2. Causes of dissatisfaction. Claim. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE ADMIXISTRATIOIS" OF PRESIDENT HEKRY PARKER. 

"My present thoughts are that the colony never had a better appearance of thriving 
than now. There have been more vessels loaded here within these ten mouths than 
have beeu since the colony was settled."— James Habersham. 



The year 1750 marks 
the beginning of an era 
of growth and prosperit}^ 
for Georgia. New set- 
tlers came into the colony, 
and lands were cleared 
and cultivated. A flour- 
ishing export trade began 
to grow up with England, 
and the articles exported 
were chiefly pitch, tar, staves, 
rice, and deer-skins. The Trus- 
tees still insisted upon the culti- 
vation of mulberry-trees and the 
production of silk, but this in- 
dustry did not flourish. The 
Salzburgers at Ebenezer produced 
one-half of the silk of the colony. 
Many farmers were engaged in the cultivation of indigo, 
and European grape-vines were brought over and planted. 
The population of the colony at this time had increased to 
one thousand five hundred. 

The Trustees saw that as the population of Georgia in- 
creased it would become more and more difficult to find out 




SILKWORM, COCOON, AND MOTH. 

(Half natural size.) 



46 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

what changes in the rules and reguhitions were necessary for 
the welfare of the colony. Therefore, in 1750 they ado2:>ted 
resolutions creating a Provincial Assembly, comjwsed of dele- 
gates elected by the people, which should consider the interests 
of the colony and recommend to the Trustees such measures 
as those interests demanded. This assembly was to meet in 
Savannah once every year, and not to remain in session longer 
than one month. Every town, village, or district in the 
province containing a population of ten families was to send 
one deputy, and any settlement containing thirty families 
could appoint two deputies. Savannah had four deputies, 
Augusta and Ebenezer two each, and Frederica two, provided 
thirty families were living there. There were some very curi- 
ous qualifications for future membershi^i in this assembly. 
No man could serve as a deputy in the second assembly who 
had not one hundred mulberry-trees planted and fenced in 
upon every fifty acres of land that he owned ; and after 1753 
no one could be a delegate Avho had not in his family at least 
one female instructed in the art of reeling silk, and who did 
not annually produce fifteen pounds of silk for every fifty 
acres of land owned by him. 

AVrits of election were issued in 1750, and sixteen delegates 
were elected. On the 15th of January, 1751, the first General 
Assembly ever held in Georgia met at Savannah and elected 
Francis Harris speaker. This assembly had no power to 
make laws, but could only recommend to the Trustees such 
measures as were deemed of advantage to the colony. The 
session lasted twenty-two days, and a number of recommenda- 
tions were made, all of which received ])roper consideration 
from the Trustees. 

Henry Parker, who had served as vice-president of the 
colony for the past eight years, was appointed president by 
the Trustees on the- 8th of April, 1751, to succeed Colonel 
AVilliam Stephens, who had resigned his office on account of 
his age and infirmities. Colonel Stephens, during his service 



President Parkers An^TimsTRATiojs'. 47 

as president, had won the love and confidence of the whole 
people, and the Trustees, as an evidence of their appreciation, 
voted him a pension for the remainder of his life. James 
Habersham was appointed secretary of the colony. 

One of the recommendations of the first assembly was that 
the militia be organized, and President Parker, immediately 
after his appointment, proceeded to carry ont this recommen- 
dation. General Oglethorpe's regiment had been disbanded, 
and the colony was left almost without protection against the 
Indians, whose friendship was uncertain. The militia are 
not regular soldiers, but citizens who are organized and 
drilled in the use of arms, so as to be ready when called npon 
to defend their homes and property. Those citizens who 
owned as much as three hundred acres of land were ordered 
to appear at Savannah at a certain time, on horseback, to be 
organized as cavalry, and all who owned less land were to be 
organized as infantry. The first general muster or gathering 
of the militia was held in Savannah in June, 1751, when 
about two hundred and twenty men, infantry and cavalry, 
paraded under the command of Captain Noble Jones. The 
records of the day say ''they behaved well and made a 
pretty appearance. '' 

In 1752 a most important addition was made to the colony 
of Georgia. A body of Congregationalists from Dorchester, 
S. C, secured from the anthorities in Georgia the grant of 
a large body of land lying on the Medway Eiver, half-way 
between the Ogeechee and Altamaha, in what is now Liberty 
County ; and in December of that year Benjamin Baker and 
Samuel Bacon arrived with their families and servants to take 
possession. Others soon joined them, and in a few years 
thirty-five families of these South Carolina rice planters set- 
tled on the lands. Their Puritan ancestors had settled at 
Dorchester in Massachusetts over one-hnndred years before 
this time, and fifty years before the removal to Georgia their 
fathers had moved to Sonth Carolina, on the Ashley River, 



48 History of Georgia. 

eighteen miles above Charleston, where they founded a set- 
tlement called Dorchester, after the home they had left. 
The good reports of the lands in Georgia induced them to 
leave South Carolina for a new home. They were industrious, 
prudent, intelligent people, fearing God and hating tyranny. 
They were not wanderers, but men of wealth who brought 
their property with them and immediately became one of the 
strongest communities in Georgia. They were Congregation- 
alists, and their minister came Avith them. The Midway 
Church, which they erected a few years later, still stands, 
not far from the town of Dorchester. Many of the most dis- 
tinguished citizens of Georgia have been descendants of these 
settlers at Midway. 

The charter of Georgia had been granted to the Trustees 
for twenty-one years, and the end of the time was close at 
hand. The Trustees were weary of their charge and refused 
to have the charter renewed. They sent a memorial to the 
Lords of the Council proposing to surrender the control of the 
Province of Georgia, and to deed back to his Majesty the 
lands which 'had been conveyed to them in trust for the bene- 
fit of settlers in the province. The King accepted their ^yo- 
posal, and the last meeting of the Trustees was held on the- 
23d of June, 1752. Every bill had been paid, every claim 
against them had been adjusted, and all the formalities 
involved in surrendering their trust had been complied with. 
The deed of surrender was read and approved, and the seal of 
the corporation was attached. Then the seal was defaced, 
the Trustees ceased to exist, and the colony of Georgia, which 
had been their generous and unselfish care for so many years, 
passed under the direct control of the King of England and 
under the special charge of the Lords Commissioners for 
Trade and Plantations. 

The Trustees were seventy-two in number, many of them 
noblemen of rank and men of distinction. Only six of the 
original number survived when they surrendered their char- 



President Parkers Administration. -19 

ter. During tlie twenty-one years they had received no pay 
for tlieir services, but with the jiurest and most unselfish 
motives had given tlieir time, their energies, and their money 
to building up in America a colony for the j^oor and worthy 
of England. Upon the surrender of their charter, their con- 
nection with the colony ceased, and a new epoch in Georgia 
history is reached. 

[Henry Parker, the second president of the colony of Georgia, held the 
oflfice of bailiff in Savannah as early as 1734. He acted as magistrate, and 
when on the bench wore a purple gown edged with fur. He made a set- 
tlement on the Isle of Hope, near Savannah. In 1741, when Georgia was 
divided into two counties, he was made one of the assistants of William 
Stephens. When Stephens retired on account of bad health and age, 
Parker became his successor and continued in the discharge of the duties 
of executive until his death.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the condition of the colony during President Parker's 
administration? What trade had grown up? What was the population 
of the colony at this time? What ditRculties did the Trustees foresee? 
What was the Provincial Assembly? How composed? How did it differ 
from our legislature? Mention some of the qualifications for member- 
ship. When and where did the first assembly meet? Why did Presi- 
dent Stephens resign his office? What new settlers came to the colony 
in 1752? What of their character? What about the expiration of the 
charter? Did the Trustees wish it renewed? To whom did they surren- 
der control of the colony? W^hat can you say of the Trustees and their 



service i 



TOPICS. 



Let the pupil tell about— 

1. The first assembly. 3. The colonial militia. 

2. President Henry Parker. 4. The Midway settlement. 



EPOCH III. 

Georgia under the Royal Governors, 1754-1776. 

CIIAPTEK X. 

ADMINISTRATIOX OF GOVERNOR REYNOLDS. — THE GREAT 

SEAL. 

" Georgia continued, under the king's government, to be one of the most free and 
happy countries in the world. Justice was regularly and impartially administered ; 
oppression was unknown ; the taxes levied on the subject were trifling ; and every man 
that had industry became opulent."— Stokes" Eeriew of Georrjia, 1783. 

Upon assuming control of Georgia^ the king ordered that 
the regulations of the Trustees should remain in force and that 
the officers then serving should continue in office until the 
council could agree upon a new form of government. Two 
years and five months passed before any change was made, 
^leanwhiie President Henry Parker continued in charge of the 
colony until his death, when Patrick (rraham, of Augusta, 
became president. It was a period of great anxiety to the 
colonists, who were in doubt as to the future and in continual 
dread of attacks from the Indians. 

There were at that time three forms of government among 
the English colonies in America. Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
and Maryland were under proprietors, and were governed as 
Georgia had been under the Trustees. Rhode Island and 
Connecticut had charters — that is, written documents from 
the king, in which he gave them the privilege of electiQg their 
own governors and managing their own affairs, so long as they 
submitted to his supreme authority. The other colonies 
were called royal provinces, and each had a provincial govern- 



TEE GREAT SEAL. 51 

ment, consisting of a governor and council appointed by the 
king to represent liim^ and a lower legislative house elected 
by the people. 

After long deliberation the Lords of the Council finally 
recommended that Georgia should be raised to the dignity of 
a royal province. This was approved by the king, and in 
1754 he appointed Captain John Reynolds of the Royal Navy 
the first governor of the Province of Georgia. 

As a royal province, Georgia was entitled to a great seal. 
Therefore, on the 21st of June, 1751, the king ordered the 
dies for the seal to be made of silver and engraved with the 
design selected as the coat of arms of the new province. 
These old seals were very curious affairs. They were of wax, 
as large as a saucer and half an inch thick. When an offi- 
cial document was written and signed, holes were punched in 
the top of the pages and a piece of tape or ribbon was passed 
through these holes and tied, so as to fasten the sheets to- 
gether. The ends of the tape were then placed between two 
round plates of Avax softened by warming, and these pieces of 
wax were placed between the dies. Pressure was then applied 
to the upper die, usually by a screw, so as to unite the two 
plates of wax. After the pressure was removed the dies were 
taken off, and a single piece of wax was found, bearing on either 
side in relief the figures that had been engraved on the dies. 
Such a piece of wax, thus stamped, was the great seal of the 
Province of Georgia, and was attached to official documents 
as a proof that they were genuine. The illustrations on the 
accompanying pages represent one of these seals. They also 
show a jiortion of the document, with the holes and the tape 
by which the seal is attached. 

The front of this seal, called the obverse, shows a female 
figure, representing the young Province of Georgia, kneeling 
before the king in token of her submission, and presenting 
him with a skein of silk, while the motto beneath, '' Hinc 
laudem sperate coloni" — meaning, '' Hence hope for praise, 



52 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

coloiii^s ! " — notifies the colonists that the king still expected 
them to supply him with silk. The Latin words around the 
circumference mean, '' The seal of our Province of Georgia in 
America/' On the other side of the seal, called the reverse, is 
the coat of arms of George II. 

Governor Reynolds arrived in Georgia October 29, 1754. 
As he landed at the bluff, the people croAvded around and 
welcomed him with joy. At night bonfires were lighted 
and the houses Mere illuminated to show the delight of the 
people upon the arrival of the new governor. He took the 
oath of office and began his duties at once. His official title 
was ''Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of his Majesty's 
Province of Georgia, and Vice- Admiral of the same.''' He was 
addressed as "Your Excellency." 

No officer in Georgia ever had such a magnificent title or 
filled so many offices as Governor Eeynolds and the other 
royal governors. As captain-general he had entire control 
of the militia ; as vice-admiral he commanded the naval 
forces ; as governor he had the power of calling together, 
adjourning, and dissolving the General Assembly at will, and 
of vetoing (that is, refusing his consent to) any bill that was 
passed by the Assembly. He had charge of the great seal and 
was chancellor of the province. He presided in the Court of 
Errors, hearing bills from the lower courts, and as ordinary 
he had charge of the probate of wills and the administration 
of estates. 

The General Assembly consisted of two parts. The smaller 
body, called the Upper House of Assembly, was made up of 
t>velve members who were appointed by the king. It was 
also the Governor's Council. The larger body was called the 
Commons House of Assembly, and was made uj) of representa- 
tives elected by the people of the several districts of the prov- 
ince to represent them and their wants. Before any bill could 
become a law it must be passed by both of these houses and be 
approved l)y the governor. The Commons House of Assembly, 




GRBAT SEAL OP THE 



PROVINCE— (OBVERSE). 




iBKAT SEAL OK TllK 



PROVINCE— (KEVKRSE). 



GOVERNOR REYNOLDS'S ADMINISTRATION. 55 

as the representatives of the people, claimed the exclusive 
right of proposing bills for levying taxes and appropriating 
money. 

Governor Eeynolds found the province in a depressed con- 
dition, in spite of the bright pictures that had been painted of 
its prosj^erity. His first letter to the Board of Trade said : 
'^ The toAvn of Savannah is well situated and contains about 
one hundred and fifty houses, all wooden ones, very small, and 
mostly old. The biggest was used for the meeting of the 
president and assistants, and wherein I sat in Council for a few 
days ; but one end fell down whilst we were all there, and 
obliged us to move to a kind of shed behind the Court-house.^' 

The first legislature of Georgia met in Savannah January 
7, 1755. Twelve acts were passed and Avere approved by the 
governor. Among them was an act for printing, issuing, and 
circulating seven thousand pounds sterling in paper bills of 
credit, which should be legal tender (that is, lawful money) in 
the province. These paper bills of credit were simply paper 
money, and were loaned at interest on good security at six per 
cent, in order to supply the people with currency. 

Governor Reynolds made a visit to the southern part of the 
province. lie visited Frederica, but found that once lovely 
city almost in ruins. He journeyed up the Ogeechee River 
and found a beautiful site for a town. He laid off a town, and 
named it Hardwicke, after the earl of that name. He pro- 
posed to have the capital of the province located here, as it was 
a more central and beautiful location than Savannah, but the 
Lords Commissioners did not furnish the money needed to 
erect public buildings. Governor Reynolds devoted much of 
his time to improving the forts and defences of the colony. 
He went up to Augusta to make a treaty with the Indians. 
After waiting ten days, during which the Indians did not 
arrive, he was compelled to return to Savannah. He left 
presents in charge of his secretary, who delivered them to the 
Indians and received their assurances of friendship. 



56 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

The business wliicli called Governor Eeynolds back to 
Savannah was the arrival of two ships with fonr hundred 
Acadians on board. These Acadians were French Catholics 
from Nova Scotia, then called x\cadie. Their homes and 
their churches were burned, and the poor Acadians were 
driven on board British ships and distributed among the 
British provinces along the Atlantic coast. The reason for 
doing this was that the Acadians were opposed to British 
rule. Xothing more cruel and inhuman was ever done by any 
government. Under the laws of Georgia no Catholic could be 
admitted to the province, and as these Acadians were Catho- 
lics the governor was in doubt what to do. The feeling of 
humanity prevailed over his respect for the law% and the Aca- 
dians were cared for during the coming winter. Most of them 
left Georgia as soon as possible. 

Although Governor Reynolds's administration had begun so 
pleasantly, it did not prove satisfactory. He became involved 
in disputes with his Council and with the General Assembly, 
and much bitter feeling resulted. The people complained 
to the Lords Commissioners of the Board of Trade and Plan- 
tations, and that body, being satisfied that something was 
wrong, on August 3, 1756, summoned Governor Reynolds to 
appear before them. He remained in the province until a 
lieutenant-governor could be a})pointed and sent out to Savan- 
nah to relieve him. 

[John Reynolds was born in England in 1700. He entered the na\ vat 
an early age, and had l)een advanced to the rank of cai)tain when lie was 
appointed by the king as the first governor of Georgia. Upon resigning 
his position he set sail for England to answer the charges made against 
hira. The vessel in which he embarked was captured by a French priva- 
teer, and Reynolds was robbed of his journal, papers, and everything of 
value belonging to him. After he arrived in London it was nearly a year 
before he was tried by the Board of Trade. His answers were not satis- 
factory, however. He then resumed his rank and position in the navy, 
and before his death he rose to the rank of Rear-Adniiral of the Royal 
Blue. He died in 1770.] 



Questions and Topics. 57 

[The initials on the cii'cumference of the coat of arms of George II. 
stand for the following Latin words: " Oeorgius II., Dei Gratia JIagnce 
BritannicB, Francice et Hibernim Bex, Fidei Defensor, Brunsvici et 
Limehurgi Dux, Sacri Eomani Imperii ArcTii-Thesaurarius et Elector,'" 
meaning, "George II., by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, 
France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and 
Luneburg, High-Treasurer and Elector of the Ploly Roman Empire." 
The lion and the unicorn with the crown of Great Britain are the coat of 
arms of the kingdom, and the quarterings on the shield represent the 
different titles of George IL] 

[The first officers appointed for the Province of Georgia were as fol- 
lows : William Clifton, Attorney-General ; James Habersham, Secretary 
and Register of the Records ; Alexander Kellet, Provost Marshal ; Wil- 
liam Russell, Naval Officer ; Henry Yonge and William DeBrahm, Joint 
Surveyors of Land; Sir Patrick Houstoun, Bart., Register of Grants. 
The members of the first Council were : Patrick Graham, Sir Patrick 
Houstoun, James Habersham, Alexander Kellet, William Clifton, Noble 
Jones, Pickering Robinson, Francis Harris, Jonathan Bryan, William 
Russell, and, subsequently, Clement Martin.] 

QUESTIONS. 

After the king assumed control of Georgia, what did he order ? De- 
scribe the three forms of government among the English colonies in 
America. Whjit important change was now made in the government 
of Georgia? Who was the first royal governor? Describe the great seal 
of the Province. The motto. When did Governor Reynolds land? 
What were some of his titles and powers? Describe the General Assem- 
bly. How did Governor Reynolds find the colony? What did he say in 
his first letter ? What was one of the acts of the first legislature ? 
What steps did the governor take to find out the condition of the col- 
ony? Who were the Acadians? Was Governor Reynolds's administra- 
tion satisfactory to the people? 

TOPICS. 

Tell about— 

1. The government of Georgia. 5. Meeting of first legislature. 

2. The seal of Georgia. 6. Reynolds's tour. — Hardwicke. 

3. Powers of the governor. 7. The Acadians. 

4. The General Assembly. 8. Reynolds removed. 



CHAPTER XL 

GOVERNOR HEKRY ELLIS. — AFFAIRS PRECEDING THE 
REVOLUTIOX. 

" I can ^vith unfeigned sincerity declare that I enter upon this station with the most dis- 
interested views, \\ithout prejudice to any man or body of men, or retrospect to past 
transactions or disputes, but animated with the warmest zeal for whatever concerns your 
happiness or the public utility, sincerely inclined to concur with you in every just and 
necessary measure, and fully resolved that if, unfortunately, my wishes and endeavors 
prove fruitless, to be the first to solicit my recall." — Henry Ellis. 

Hexry Ellis, who had been appointed by the king lienten- 
ant-goA^ernor of Georgia, was still a young man about thirty- 
six years of age. He had been a daring and skilful sailor in 
the Pacific Ocean and had received high honors in England. 
He landed in Georgia February 16, 1757, and waited upon 
Governor Reynolds at once. He was then taken to the coun- 
cil chamber, where he Avas installed as lieutenant-governor and 
acting-governor of Georgia during the absence of Governor 
Reynolds, who sailed for England the same day. The peoj^le 
welcomed him Avith bonfires and public parades. In the 
evening the houses were illuminated, and everybody rejoiced 
in the hope of a new season of prosperity. The lieutenant- 
governor was especially pleased with the address of a band of 
young soldiers who, to the number of thirty-two, had enrolled 
themselves under the command of their schoolmaster and 
paraded before his house. 

The first care of Lieutenant-Governor Ellis Avas to provide 
for the defence of the colony. He obtained a shi]) of Avar and 
five hundred stands of arms to protect the coast. He tried by 
justice and mild measures to heal the discontent that Rey- 
nolds had created. He looked into every department of the 



Governor Henry Ellis. 59 

government, and recommended a chief justice for the prov- 
ince. He visited the southern section, and favored the removal 
of the capital from Savannah to Hardwicke. He held a 
conference with the Creek Indians at Savannah, and by his 
tact secured their friendship and promises of peace. This 
was very important, as France and England were at war, and 
French agents had been sent among the Creeks to induce 
them to attack the English in Georgia. 

When the legislature, or General Assembly, met, June, 1757, 
the governor made an opening address full of good wishes 
for the welfare of the colony. Among the bills passed by this 
legislature was one offering the Province of Georgia as a home 
for debtors who could not pay what they owed. Here they 
could find work and lands, and gradually save enough to pay 
their debts. 

The raj)id growth of the settlements on the Medway River 
impressed the people of that district with the necessity of 
having a port of entry of their own from which their crops 
could be shipped and where supplies for their plantations could 
be bought. On the 20th of June, 1758, Thomas Carr con- 
veyed to five trustees three hundred acres of a grant which he 
had received a year before from the king, to be laid out by them 
as a town called Sunbury. The trustees were men of promi- 
nence, and two of them, John Stevens and John Elliott, were 
influential members of the Midway Church. The site selected 
for the town was twelve miles from the ocean, on a beautiful 
bluff on the Medway Eiver, covered with magnificent live-oaks 
and magnolias. A more beautiful spot could not be found in 
Georgia. The town was laid off into streets, wharves were 
built, and it soon became a place of great importance in the 
colony, second only to Savannah. Its principal trade was 
with the West Indies and the northern colonies. 

In 1758 Georgia was divided into eight parishes : Christ 
Church Parish, including Savannah ; St. Matthew's Parish, 
including Ebenezer ; St. Paul's Parish, including Augusta ; 



60 



Histohy of Georgia. 



St. George's Parish, including Halifax ; St. Philijo's, including 
Great Ogeechee ; St. John's, including ^lidway and Sunbury ; 




MAP OF PAKI^UE?;, 17G5 TO TUE KJEVOLUTION. 

St. Andrew's, including Darien ; and St. James', including 
Frederica. These divisions were made in order to better 
regulate the government of the colony. The law provided for 



Governor henry Ellis. 61 

the holding of public worship in each of these parishes. In 
1765 four new parishes were added to the number then in 
Georgia. They Avere St. Patrick's^ 8t. David's, St. Thomas', 
and St. Mary's, and were all between the Altamaha and the 
St. Mary's rivers. These parishes were really counties. 

In 1758 Governor Reynolds, who had gone to England for 
trial, was removed, and Lieutenant-Governor Ellis was com- 
missioned '• Governor-in- Chief of the Province of Georgia/' 
an honor he fully deserved. During the same year the colony 
sent over to England twenty-five thousand pounds of indigo 
and fifty-five hogsheads of rice. Georgia was steadily grow- 
ing in population, commerce, and importance. 

The wisdom of Governor Ellis in making fast friends of the 
Creek Indians was apparent in 1759, when the Carolinas and 
Virginia became involved in Avar with the Cherokees, a most 
poAverful tribe. Their lands covered all North Alabama and 
North Georgia and much of South Carolina and extended north 
to the Ohio RiA'er. Their Avarriors had assisted the English 
attack on Fort Du Quesne, Avhere Pittsburg now stands. After 
the capture of this fort, the Cherokee Avarriors returned home 
through Virginia and carried off some horses that they found 
pasturing in the Avoods. They Avere folloAved by a party of 
Virginia frontiersmen, and tAvelve of their number Avere killed 
and the others captured. This injustice aroused the young 
Avarriors of the Avhole Cherokee Nation, and, instigated by 
French agents, they began attacks on the Carolina frontiers. 
On the Little Tennessee River, in the valley beyond the moun- 
tains, was Fort Loudoun, and in South Carolina, near the 
toAvn of KeoAvee, was Fort Prince George, both in the Chero- 
kee country. Fort Loudoun was surrounded by the Cherokees 
and the garrison cut off from all supplies. 

Governor Lyttleton, of South Carolina, called out the mili- 
tia and prepared to march against the Cherokees. Thirty-two 
chiefs, hearing of this, Avent to Charleston to make peace ; but 
the governor refused to listen to them, and forced them to 



62 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

march with hiB army to Fort Prince George. He put guards 
over them on the march, and confined them when he reached 
the fort. Tliis nnjnst treatment was a great ontrage. Find- 
ing his army not strong enougli to attack the Cherokees, the 
governor now conchided to make peace with them, so that he 
might return with credit to Charleston. He sent for Atta- 
kullakulla, a wdse old Cherokee chief, who was a friend of 
the English, and with his assistance peace was arranged. 
Tw^enty-two Indians were to be held in the fort as hostages 
for the surrender of the twenty-two Indians wdio had been mur- 
dering the wdiites, and the governor returned to Charleston. 

Governor Lyttleton's treatment of the chiefs had aroused a 
spirit of revenge, and before he reached Charleston they had 
killed fourteen men and besieged the fort. Unable to cap- 
ture it, they decoyed Captain Covtmore and two lieutenants 
out from the fort and murdered them. In retaliation, the 
soldiers in the fort attempted to put the hostages in irons. 
One of them resisted and stabbed a soldier, whereupon they 
were all murdered. This act again aroused all the Cherokee 
warriors, and they at once began to murder the settlers along 
the frontier of South Carolina. Small-pox had broken out in 
South Carolina, and the militia could not be called out. Gen- 
eral Amherst sent Colonel Montgomery from ^ew York with 
a force of regulars and seven troops of Rangers from Xorth 
Carolina and Virginia. He at once attacked the Cherokees 
in South Carolina, burned several of their towns, killing men, 
women, and children, and drove them to the mountains. 
Here he attempted to follow them, but he was drawn into an 
ambuscade and narrowly escaped defeat. He saw that he 
could do nothing against them in the mountains w^ith his 
small force, so he returned to Charleston and thence to Xew 
York. 

On August 7, 1760, the garrison at Fort Loudoun, cut off 
from supplies and being on the point of starvation, was forced 
to surrender. The Cherokees promised that the garrison 



GOVERNOR Henry Ellis. 63 

should be conducted in safety to Fort Prince George, but tlie 
first night of the journey the sokliers were attacked and many 
of them were killed. The others were carried back to Fort 
Loudoun as prisoners. The British Government now recog- 
nized that the Cherokee war was a very serious matter, and 
prompt steps were taken to end it. . 

Meanwhile Governor Ellis was preparing to leave Georgia. 
The climate did not agree with him, and he had applied, a 
year before, for permission to return to England. This had 
been granted, but he was forced to wait for the arrival of the 
lieutenant-governor, James Wright, who had been appointed 
to relieve him. 

[Governor Henry Ellis was born about the year 1720, and was distin- 
guished at an early age for his study of the natural sciences and by his 
interest in geographical discoveries. When he was twenty-six years of 
age he was entrusted with an expedition to find a new route to the Pacific 
Ocean, and w^as offered £20,000 if he succeeded. With two ships he set 
sail and entered the Straits of Hudson. For over a year he tried to find 
his way through, braving the dangers of new seas and a severe winter. 
He returned to England in 1747, and was at once made a Fellow of the 
Royal Society. He was soon after appointed lieutenant-governor of 
Georgia. He was spoken of as ''an active, sensible, and honest nian."l 

[Governor James Wright was descended from an ancient and honorable 
family. His father had settled in Charleston, where he married, and 
afterward became Chief Justice of South Carolina. James Wright was 
born in Charleston, but educated in England. Upon his return to Caro- 
lina he began the practice of law, and was appointed attorney-general of 
the Province when only twenty-five years of age. When he entered upon 
his duties as governor of Georgia he was about forty-six years of age, in 
the prime of his life, a firm and loyal adherent to the Crown, and ever 
true to the trust imposed upon him in the trying times of the Revolution 
soon to follow.] 

[The way in which the Indians were received at Savannah when Gov- 
ernor Ellis made his treaty with them in 1757 is shown by the following 
account: 

"The Indians were escorted by Captain Milledge with his troop of 



64 History of Georgia. 

Rangers, and approached the town. They were met in an open savanna 
about a mije distant by Captain Bryan, with the principal inhabitants of 
the town, on horseback, who welcomed them in the name of his Honor 
the governor, and regaled them in a tent pitched for that purpose. 

" The Indians were conducted to the council, and were introduced to 
his Honf)r the governor, who, holding out his hand, addressed them in 
the following manner: ' My friends and brothers : Behold my hands and 
arms ! Our common enemies, the French, have told you they are red to 
the elbows. View them ! Do they speak the truth? Let your own eyes 
witness. You see they are white, and could you see my heart you would 
find it as pure, but very warm and true to you, my friends. The French 
tell you whoever shakes my hands will be immediately struck by disease 
and die. If you believe this lying, foolish talk, don't touch me. If you 
do not, I am ready to embrace you.' Whereupon they all approached and 
shook hands, declaring the French had deceived them in this manner."] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was appointed lieutenant-governor of Georgia? How was he 
received by the people? What was the first care of Governor Ellis? 
What did he try to do? What did he favor? What bill was passed by 
the legislature of 1757? Describe the founding of Sunbury. Name and 
locate the first eight parishes. What four were added in 1765 ? What 
can you say of the exports of Georgia in 1758 ? W^hat trouble arose with 
the Indians in 1759 ? What was the cause of the outbreak ? What did 
the Governor of South Carolina do ? What was the eifeet of his treat- 
ment of the Indians ? Give further details of the trouble. What 
occurred at Fort Loudoun? Why did Governor Ellis resign ? Who 
succeeded him ? 

TOPICS. 

Henry Ellis — 

1. Landing and welcome. 4. The parishes. 

2. First cares. 5. Cherokee war. 

3. Sunbury. 6. Returns to England. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WRIGHT. 

" With an increasing population and expanding commerce, and presided over by a chief 
magistrate eager for the promotion of its best interests, the province day by day rose in 
importance and was fast realizing the expectations which its illustrious founder had con- 
ceived for it."— Jones's History of Georgia. 

Hon. James Wright, the newly appointed lieutenant- 
governor, arrived in Georgia October 11, 1760. Two days 
later Governor Ellis sent his last message to the Assembly, 
and on the 2d of November he sailed for England amid the 
regrets of the people of the whole province. 

Lieutenant-Governor AY right was an American by birth, 
although educated in England. He was born in Charleston, 
and had been attorney-general of the province of South Caro- 
lina for twenty-one years. He was the third and last gov- 
ernor of Georgia under the British crown. 

He at once sent a message to the Assembly, calling atten- 
tion to the necessity of completing the defences of the colony. 
Fort Loudon had just been captured, and the people of 
Georgia were in constant dread of an attack from the Chero- 
kee Indians. Savannah was completely enclosed with pali- 
sades and forts, so as to afford an asylum to the planters 
living in the vicinity, and the other forts of the province were 
put in good condition. 

Lieutenant-Governor Wright determined not to remove the 
capital from Savannah to Hardwicke. This decision was 
of great importance to Savannah and to the whole province. 
The people, feeling sure that Savannah would be the perma- 
nent seat of government, invested capital in business there, 



66 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

and substantial brick buildings began to take tlie place of the 
temporary wooden structures that composed the town. 

February, ITOl, was a memorable month in Georgia. A 
ship arrived bringing news of the death, in October, 1760, of 
the old king, George II., for whom the province was named, 
and of the crowning of his successor, George III. The Assem- 
bly was dissolved, and funeral services held in memory of the 
old king. The following day George III. was proclaimed 
king. 

Meanwhile, Governor Ellis had reached England, and had 
induced the king to relieve him from serving any longer as 
governor of Georgia. On the 20th of March, 1761, Lieuten- 
ant-Governor James AVright was appointed " Captain-Gen- 
eral, Governor, and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of 
Georgia,^^ although his commission did not reach him until 
the 28th of January of the next year, nearly ten months after 
his appointment. This news was received with great rejoic- 
ing by the people. 

Early in 1761, Lieutenant-Colonel James Grant reached 
Charleston with a force of Highlanders to cooperate with the 
South Carolina militia in conquering the C'herokees. With 
about two thousand six hundred men he marched to Fort 
Prince George in May, where he was met by Attakullakulla, 
who begged him to advance no farther. The old chief be- 
lieved that he could persuade the Cherokees te sue for 'peace; 
but Colonel Grant declined to wait, and moved at once into 
the Cherokee country. A bloody fight occurred four days 
later on the spot where Colonel ^Montgomery had been drawn 
into an ambuscade the year before. The Cherokees fought 
bravely for three hours, but were finally compelled to retreat. 
Colonel Grant pressed on to the Indian town of Etchoe, which 
he burned. Advancing into the heart of the Cherokee coun- 
try, he burned fourteen other towns and left the entire region 
desolate. He then returned to Fort Prince George. The 
power of the Cherokees was thoroughly crushed, and peace 



Governor Wrights Administration. 67 

was soon made. During the two years in which they had 
been at war with Virginia and the Carolinas, the Oherokees 
had not attacked any settler in the province of Georgia. 

In Europe events were taking place which deeply affected 
the future of Georgia. France, Austria, and Eussia were en- 
gaged in a war with Prussia and England, but had gained no 
advantage on the continent of Europe. But England had 
conquered Canada, had made large gains in India and Africa, 
and had seriously crippled the French navy, so that in 1761 
the resources of France were exhausted. 

Now it happened that France, Spain, Sicily, and Parma were 
governed by princes of the house of Bourbon, and the king of 
France persuaded his kinsmen to form an alliance, known in 
history as the '' Family Compact." Spain, then a great naval 
power, secretly agreed to aid France in the war against Eng- 
land. In 1762 England learned of this secret compact, and 
promptly declared war against Spain. The contest was short. 
Within a few months England had almost destroyed the 
Spanish navy and captured Havana. Spain^s commerce and 
her rich colonial possessions were at the mercy of England, 
and a treaty was agreed upon. 

This treaty, known in history as the Peace of Paris, was 
proclaimed February 10, 1763. Its provisions affecting Geor- 
gia were that England gained Florida, which was ceded by 
Spain, and the valley of the Mississippi east of the river, 
which was ceded by France. 

It will be remembered that up to this time the northern 
boundary line of Florida had never been settled. Now that 
all the land had come into possession of England, King 
George III., by royal proclamation, on the 10th of October, 
1763, fixed this boundary line at the St. Mary's River and a 
straight line to be run from the head waters of that river 
to the beginning of the Appalachicola River. The territory 
south of this line and east of the Appalachicola River became 
the province of East Florida, The territory between the 



68 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Appalachicola River and the Mississipi3i was organized into a 
new province, called West Florida, with its northern boundary 
line on the thirty-first parallel of latitude. By the same proc- 
lamation the king added to the 2)rovince of Georgia all the 
lands lying between the Altamaha Kiver and the northern line 
of Florida. Thus it happened that Georgia jjrofited by the 
Treaty of Paris. The addition to her territory made her one 
of the largest provinces in America, and the organization of 
Florida as an English province removed the Spaniards, who 
had always been troublesome and dangerous neighbors. A 
new commission was issued to Governor Wright early the next 
year, giving the exact boundaries of the province he was to 
govern. This commission, years afterward, was an impor- 
tant document in settling the boundaries of the United 
States. 

In the same proclamation the king had set aside, for the use 
of the Indian tribes, the lands between the Mississippi River 
and the head waters of the streams flowing into the Atlantic, 
and had forbidden whites, ''for the present,'" to settle on 
these lands. In order to establish friendly relations between 
the whites and the Indians, the kino- ordered the o^overnors 
of Virginia, Xorth Carolina, South Garolina, and Georgia, 
within whose boundaries the Indian lands lay. to hold a 
joint conference with the chiefs of the tribes. Augusta Avas 
selected as the most convenient and suitable location, aud the 
congress was opened at the King's Fort in that town on the 
5th of November, 1763. Seven hundred Indians Avere in 
attendance ; among them were the leading chiefs of each tribe. 
As the conference was held in Georgia, Governor AV right was 
made president, and after five days of negotiation, a solemn 
treaty of perpetual peace and friendship was agreed upon and 
signed by all the parties. 

[Although Enghind had graiited to the cokmies along the Atlantic 
coast charters which extended their boundaries " westward to the South 
Sea '' or '• from sea to sea," as a matter of fact, these colonies had never 



GOVERNOR WRIGHTS ADMINISTRATION. 69 

extended west of the Alleghany Mountains. According to the law of 
nations, France had a clear title to this territory which she now ceded 
to England.] 

[The fighting, which really began in 1754 on the western borders of 
Virginia, had not caused a declaration of war between France and Eng- 
land, although both countries had been irritated about it. Two years 
later France formed an alliance with the Empress Maria Theresa of 
Austria and the Empress Elizabeth of Russia against Frederick the 
Great of Prussia. England, through her interest in Hanover, came to' 
the assistance of Frederick, who had not then won his title " the Great," 
and declared war on France in 1756. This war is known in history as 
"the Seven Years' War," and was fought in Europe, in India, in 
America, and on the ocean. The fighting done in America is called in 
American history "the French and Indian War," though it was really 
a part of the great "Seven Years' War," and is so called by European 
historians. Spain did not take part in the war until 1761. The results 
of this war were most disastrous for France. Prussia became one of 
the great powers of Europe ; France lost the better part of her colonial 
possessions, and England from this time was mistress of the seas.] 

QUESTIONS. 

When did the lieutenant-governor arrive? What of Governor Ellis? 
Who was Lieutenant-Governor Wright? To what did he turn his atten- 
tion? What of his decision as to the capital? What of the death of 
George II.? When did Lieutenant-Governor Wright become governor? 
His inauguration? Give the conclusion of the Cherokee War. What 
was taking place in Europe? Describe the " Family Compact." What 
was the result of this compact? By the terms of the Treaty of Paris 
what changes occurred in America? Who fixed the northern boundary 
line of Florida? What two new provinces were organized? What 
addition was made to the province of Georgia? Why are the "Seven 
Years' War" and the "Family Compact" of interest to Georgians? 
What of Governor Wright's new commission? What conference was 
ordered by the king? Tell all about the conference. 

TOPICS. 

Let the pupil fell about — 

1. James Wright. 4. Treaty of Paris. 

2. Cherokee War. 5. The king's proclamation. 

3. European affairs. 6. Augusta conference. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

HOW THE PEOPLE TREATED THE DEMANDS OF THE MOTHER 

COUXTRY. 

" It was certain, beyond a doubt, that this province has made, must and will make a 
rapid progress, and in a few years will make as considerable a figure as most on the 
continent/'— Z^^^^r of Governor Wright. 




Exglaxd's exj)enses in the 
Seven Years' War had donbled 
her national debt, and now that 
tlie war was over^ Parliament found 
that a neAv tax must be levied 
every year to pay the interest on 
the new debt. Taxes in England 
were already very high, and so the 
prime minister proposed that part 
of this new tax be levied on the 
American colonies, because, he 
claimed, a i^art of the debt had 
been for their defence. The 
colonies denied both the justice of the tax and the right of 
Parliament to levy it. It was not just, because they had 
already borne their j^art of the expense when they furnished 
and equipped soldiers who fought and won the campaigns in 
America. It was not right or constitutional, because the ^' Bill 
of Rights" which the English people had forced their kings 
to sign guaranteed that English citizens should not be taxed 
except by the votes of their representatives. Although these 
colonists lived in America, they were still Englishmen, entitled 
to all the rights of English citizens ; and Parliament, in which 



The Stamp Act. 71 

they were not represented, had no right to tax them. In 
Georgia and in the other provinces Parliament had recog- 
nized this principle by j^ermitting the lower honse of the 
General Assembly, elected by the people, to exercise the sole 
right of levying taxes in the province. 

The protests of America were not regarded, and in March, 
1765, Parliament passed the f anions '' Stamp Act."" The tax 
which was levied by this act was to be collected by the sale of 
stamjied pa2)er. Pamphlets conld not be sold nnless printed 
n2:)on stamped paj^er, and legal docnments, such as notes, 
bonds, contracts, and even marriage licenses, were null and 
void unless written uj^on stamped paper. The price of the 
stamp was added to the cost of the paper, and each person that 
bought a sheet of this paper would in this way pay the tax. 

When the news of the passage of the Stamp Act reached 
Georgia the people were filled with indignation. The ring- 
ing words of Patrick Henry in the General Assembly of Vir- 
ginia expressed the conviction of every freeman in Georgia. 
AVhen the call came from Massachusetts for a congress of all 
the colonies to protest against the tax, the people of Georgia 
were ready to respond. Governor Wright^s personal influ- 
ence prevented, the election of delegates, but a letter was sent 
promising the cooperation of Georgia. William Knox, agent 
for Georgia in England, was dismissed because he advised the 
people to submit to the stamp tax. The people formed them- 
selves into associations called '^ Sons of Liberty " (nicknamed 
Liberty Boys), and pledged themselves not to use stamped 
paper or to permit it to be used or distributed in the province. 

On the 2 6 til of October, Governor Wright ordered a general 
muster of the militia of the i^i'ovince to celebrate the fifth 
anniversary of the king's accession to the throne. A large 
crowd gathered in Savannah, but instead of taking part in the 
celebration, they paraded the streets with noise and excite- 
ment, threatening the govei'nor and denouncing the Stamp 
Act. They made effigies of certain persons who had favored 



72 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

submission to the Stamp Act^ and bnrned them with jeers and 
insults. 

Although the Stamp Act was to take effect November 1st, 
1765, it was the 5th of December before his Majesty's ship 
8peedwell arrived at Savannah with the stamped papers on 
board. The papers were taken out and placed in the king's 
storehouse, in charge of the commissary, guarded by forty men. 
On the 3d of January, Mr. Agnus, the distributor, arrived, was 
secretly landed in a scout-boat, with an officer and a party of 
men to protect him, and was taken safely to the governor's 
house, where he took the oath of office. He remained in the 
governor's house about two weeks without daring to go out, 
and was then sent to the country for safety. There was good 
reason for this. The whole colony was aroused. Governor 
Wright received threatening letters. James Habersham, 
President of the Council, was waylaid at night and forced to 
seek protection in the governor's guarded mansion. 

Finally, toward the end of January, a body of six hundred 
armed men arranged to assemble in Savannah, and either to 
force the governor to agree not to carry out the law, or else to 
destroy the stamps in his possession. The governor heard of 
this, and sent the stamps to Fort George, on Cocks2)ur Island, 
where they were still guarded by soldiers. The general excite- 
ment continued. On the 2d of February, the Speedwell re- 
turned to Savannah, and the governor, a few days later, trans- 
ferred the stamps from the fort to the ship. That night a 
riotous procession was formed, and burned an effigy of the 
governor holding in its hand one of his offensive circulars. 
The only stamps used in Georgia Avere employed in clearing 
sixty or seventy vessels which had collected in Savannah and 
were afraid to sail without them, because any ship found upon 
the high seas without clearance papers dul}' stamped might 
be seized by any other British ship, or by the ships of any otliei 
nation. The citizens consented to the use of these stamps in 
this instance alone. 



SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE IN GEORGIA. 73 

February 22, 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed, and peace 
and order once more prevailed in the colonies. When the 
news reached Georgia, Governor Wright convened the General 
Assembly, and congratulated them that the Province of Geor- 
gia would have to pay no compensation for any injuries or 
damages to public or private property, and that the Assembly 
itself had no votes or resolutions to reconsider. 

In the following January an incident occurred which showed 
the spirit of independence pervading the people and their 
representatives in the Commons House of Assembly. The 
governor made a requisition on the Assembly for supplies for 
the British soldiers stationed in Georgia, and sent a copy of 
the '^Mutiny Act '^ under which the supplies were authorized. 
The upper house cheerfully agreed, but the lower house, 
after a long delay, replied that a compliance with the requi- 
sition would be a violation of the trust reposed in them by 
their constituents, and would furnish a precedent which they 
did not feel themselves justified in establishing. The gov- 
ernor was very indignant, but was afraid to dissolve the 
Assembly, because it contained several members who were dis- 
posed to support the government, .while if a new Assembly 
were elected, he feared that it would be composed wholly of 
the ^^Sons of Liberty." 

Another dispute between the governor and the Assembly 
was with reference to the election of an agent to represent 
Georgia in England. The lower house refused to elect the 
man proposed by the governor, and he refused to approve the 
man elected by the house. Consequently, Georgia had no 
-agent until 1768, when Dr. Benjamin Franklin was elected. 
His salary was fixed at £100 a year, and he continued to rep- 
resent Georgia until the outbreak of the Revolution. 

Although Parliament had repealed the Stamp Act, it had 
not abandoned its claim to the right to tax the colonies, and 
so a bill was framed levying a tax upon paints, paper, glass, 
and all articles of British manufacture/ On the 11th of Jan- 



74 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

nary, 1768, the Massachusetts House of Representatives sent 
a circular to the Provincial Assemblies of America, advising a 
union against the oppressive acts of Parliament. The Assem- 
bly of Georgia was not in session, but Mr. Wyley, Avho had 
been S2:)eaker of the lower house, sent a sympathetic response. 
When the Assembly met, the lower house elected Dr. Koble 
AVimberly Jones speaker, and transacted the regular business 
of the session. After the necessary laws had been passed, 
Mr. AVyley laid l^efore the house the letter from Massachu- 
setts and a similar letter from the speaker of the Commons 
House of Assembly of Virginia. The house ordered these 
letters entered ujion the journal, and immediately j^assed 
strong resolutions indorsing the position taken by the other 
provinces. Governor Wright sent an indignant message to 
the Assembly, and, by virtue of his authority as governor, 
dissolved it. 

In November, 1769, the merchants of Savannah met and 
solemnly agreed not to import any of the articles subj^ect to 
the tax, and shortly afterward a mass meeting of the people 
adopted very strong resolutions, agreeing not to buy any of 
these articles, and '^neither to buy nor to give mourning," 
because all mourning goods were manufactured in England. 
Jonathan Bryan, who presided, was at this time a member of 
the Council, and the king, upon receiving these resolutions, at 
once ordered that Mr. Bryan should be suspended from the 
Council and be removed from any office that he might hold in 
Georgia. 

The contest between the governor and the Assembly con- 
tinued, the Council being generally in sympathy with the 
governor and willing to do as he wished ; but the Commons 
House of Assembly, coming direct from the people and repre- 
senting the popular sentiment in the province, showed in all 
things a spirit of independence. In 1770, Dr. Noble W. 
Jones was again elected speaker of the house, but Governor 
AVriirbt refused to sanction the choice and ordered the house 



Stamps— jAiiEs Habersham. 75 

to elect another speaker. Instead of doing so, tlie house 
passed resolutions complimentary to Dr. Jones and refused to 
elect any other speaker, declaring that the governor had no 
right to reject a speaker unanimously elected by the house. 
The only thing the governor could do was to dissolve the 
Assembly, and this he did. Noble W. Jones has been styled 
'' one of the morning stars of liberty in Georgia.'^ 

[At the head of the chapter is the picture of one of the stamps which 
England attempted to make the American people use. The original was 
cut from a piece of parchment and is in the New York Historical Society 
library. The values of the stamps varied from a few pence up to several 
pounds, according to the tax levied on the different articles. The stamp 
in the picture is for two shillings and sixpence, which was the amount of 
the tax on a deed. The sale of stamps is a very common and a very satis- 
factory way of collecting a tax. Our internal revenue tax on cigars and 
tobacco is collected to-day by the sale of stamps, and every box of cigars 
or tobacco has one and sometimes two stamps upon it. Each person who 
buys a cigar or a piece of tobacco pays a part of this tax. The stamps 
required by the "Stamp Act" were very different, however, from our 
internal revenue stamps, and were not sold separately, but were stamped 
upon the paper in England, and the paper thus stamped was sent over to 
be sold to the colonists.] 

[James Habersham was born in England in 1712. He was a friend of 
George Whitefield, and came to Georgia with him in the interest of the 
orphan asylum. Soon after his arrival Habersham opened a school for 
destitute and orphan children. When Whitefield left for England, the 
care of the orphan asylum devolved upon Habersham, under whose 
management the institution flourished. In 1744 he resigned his position 
and entered into business with Francis Harris. Harris & Habersham 
was the first commercial house in Georgia. His house opened trade with 
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and later on began to trade directly 
with London. In 1750 Habersham was appointed by the Trustees com- 
missioner to advance the culture of silk in the colony. His letters on 
this subject show an intimate knowledge of the agricultural and commer- 
cial interests of the colony. In 1754 he was appointed by the king 
secretary of the province and one of the Council. In 1767 he was presi- 
dent of the upper house of the General Assembly. When Governor 



76 History of Georgia. 

Wright applied for leave of absence, he recommended James Habersham 
for his successor, "as being a gentleman of property and no Liberty 
Boy." He died at New Brunswick, N. J., in 1775, where he had gone 
on account of his illness.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Why did Parliament propose to tax America ? Why was this not just? 
Why was it not right or constitutional ? How did Parliament act ? De- 
scribe the Stamp Act. How was the Stamp Act received in Georgia ? 
Who were the Liberty Boys ? How did Georgia celebrate the anniversary 
of the king's coronation ? When did the stamped papers reach Georgia ? 
What was done with them? When did the distributor arrive ? What 
happened to him ? What was the feeling in Georgia ? What finally 
became of the stamps ? Were any of them used in Georgia ? How was 
the trouble about the Stamp Act settled ? What did Governor Wright do 
when he heard the news ? What incident showed the spirit among the 
people ? What other dispute occurred between the governor and the 
lower house of Assembly ? What new act was passed by Parliament ? 
What was done with the letter of the Massachusetts Assembly ? How did 
the people of Georgia regard the new tax ? What of Jonathan Bryan ? 
What of the contest between the governor and the lower house of Assem- 
bly ? Why was there no meeting of the Assembly in 1770 ? 



TOPICS. 

^Yliat brought on the Revolution : 

1. Taxation without representa- 4. How the Stamp Act was treated. 

tion. 5. How the Mutiny Act was 

2. Stamp Act. treated in Georgia. 

3. Disturbance at Savannah. 6. Trade with England stopped. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FIRST ACTS OF RESISTANCE. 




'■'■Resolved, no man dissenting, That liis Majesty's subjects in America owe the same 
allegiance, and are entitled to the same rights, privileges, and immunities with their fellow 
subjects in Great Bv'iisan.'"— Resolution of Georgia Patriots. 

Governor Wright obtained a leave 
of absence and sailed for England in 
July, 1771. Hon. James Habersham, 
President of the Council, had been ap- 
pointed by the king to discharge the 
duties of governor during Governor 
Wright's absence. His title was Presi- 
dent. He was one of the people and 
sympathized with them, but as an officer 
of the Crown he was loyal to his trust, 
and felt bound by his oath to carry out 
the king's wishes. 
One of the orders of the king was that Dr. Noble W. Jones 
should not be chosen speaker of the Commons House of 
Assembly. The Assembly elected him twice, and each time 
Acting-Governor Habersham refused to sanction the choice. 
The third time, Dr. Jones declined to serve, and the Assembly 
elected Archibald Bulloch. All this was put in the journal 
of the house, and when the acting-governor directed the As- 
sembly to leave it out of the minutes, they refused. For this 
he dissolved the Assembly. 

Governor Wright returned to Savannah, February, 1773. 
He had been absent from Georgia for nineteen months. He 
Avas made a baron while in England, and treated with much 



JAMES HABERSHAM. 



78 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

respect. His position as royal governor of Georgia at this 
time was a A^ery trying one, but lie acted throughont with 
justice and loyalty, and did his duty, as he understood it, 
to the king. 

As soon as he returned lie went to Augusta and met tlie 
chiefs of several tribes of Indians. He obtained from them 
the territory of the present counties of ^Mlkes, Taliaferro, 
Greene, Elbert, Oglethorpe, Lincoln — about 2,100,000 acres in 
all. This was in payment of a debt of ^200.000 which the 
Indians owed the traders. In this way, by frequent treaties 
the lands were being gained from the Indians and opened for 
the whites 'to settle upon. Xo lands were taken by force, 
however ; the land was always bought and i)ayment was made 
as promised. 

The British Parliament repealed the tax on all articles 
except tea. They kept a tax on this in order to show their 
right to tax the colonies. But the American jDcople resolved 
not to use tea. The tea ships were sent back from Xew York 
and Philadelphia. In Charleston the tea Avas landed, but 
was allowed to rot in damp cellars. At Boston a company of 
men dressed like Indians went on board the tea ships and 
threw the chests into the sea. The British Parliament then 
passed the Boston Port Bill, March, 1774. 

This act was designed to close the port of Boston, thus 
keeping any ships from coming in or going out. The charter 
of ^lassachusetts was taken away, and a law was made requir- 
ing persons charged with committing crimes in America to 
be carried to England for trial. These measures made the 
people more and more discontented. Those Avho sided with 
the colonies and were in favor of liberty were called '*' Whigs,'' 
while those who favored the king were called "Tories." 
" Tory " soon became a term of bitter reproach. 

August 10, 1774, a band of patriots met in Savannah, 
passed resolutions of sympathy for the people of Boston, and 
declared the acts of the mother country unjust. These reso- 



First acts of Resistance. 79 

liitions declare that the Americans deserved the same rights 
as subjects living in Great Britain ; that they had a right to 
petition the throne for a redress of their wrongs ; that the 
closing of the port of Boston was an act of tyranny ; that the 
withdrawal of the charter of Massachusetts was an invasion of 
American rights ; that Parliament had no right to tax the 
colonies without their consent ; that it was unjust to transjjort 
criminals to England for trial ; and that Georgia Avould unite 
with the other colonies to resist these measures of oppression 
by the British Government. A subscription was started for 
the Boston sufferers^ and six hundred barrels of rice were 
given and sent to that place. Among the patriots at this 
meeting was Jonathan Bryan, again a member of the King's 
Council in Georgia. When Governor Wright called his Coun- 
cil together, a motion was made ^^to expel Mr. Bryan" from 
his seat in the Council. " I will save you the trouble/' said 
Bryan, and at once handed his resignation to the governor 
and walked out. 

In order that Georgia should not fall behind other provinces 
in resenting the action of Parliament, it was decided to hold a 
Provincial Congress in Savannah, in January, 1775, com^^osed 
of delegates from all the parishes of Georgia. Governor Wright 
did all he could to prevent this meeting and thwart its designs. 
When the congress met, only live out of the twelve parishes 
were represented. One of the objects of the meeting was to 
elect delegates to a general Continental Congress of representa- 
tives from all the provinces, to meet in Philadelphia in May. 
The Georgia Provincial Congress elected three delegates, Noble 
W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch, and John Houstoun. These 
delegates did not attend the Continental Congress, however, 
because they were not appointed by a majority of the parishes, 
and hence there might be a question as to their right to repre- 
sent the sentiment of the province. They wrote a letter to the 
Continental Congress, in which they said : " There are still 
men in Georgia who, when an occasion shall require, will be 



80 HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 

ready to evince a steady, religions, and manly attachment to 
the liberties of America." 

The parish of St. John was represented in the Provincial 
Congress, but was not satisfied with the action of that body. 
Its representatives desired the Province of Georgia to take as 
bold and active a stand for liberty as any province in Amer- 
ica. The parish was a wealthy and influential one, and re- 
solved to send its own delegates to the Continental Congress. 
Dr. Lyman Hall was chosen, and took his seat in the Conti- 
nental Congress ^' as a delegate from the parish of St. John in 
the colony of Georgia, subject to such regulations as the Con- 
gress should determine relative to voting." 

For the patriotic and independent spirit of its people and 
this prompt and courageous movement, the legislature in after 
years conferred the name of Liberty Count i/ on the consolidated 
parishes of St. John, St. Andrew, and St. James. Governor 
Wright said that the head of the rebellion was in St. John's 
Parish. 

The sentiment of the people of Georgia was divided. There 
were those who were anxious to act at once, throw off the yoke 
of Great Britain, and proclaim the liberty of the American 
colonies. .There were others who were conservative in their 
views, and who hesitated to involve the province of Georgia in 
Avar. They still loved the mother country and believed that 
the disputes between the Parliament and the colonies would be 
settled in a friendly manner. This feeling was rather credit- 
able to Georgia than otherwise, for, of all of the colonies, she 
had least cause to complain and take up arms against the 
mother country. 

The British General Gage was sent to Boston with a fleet 
and army to subdue the x\merican colonies. By April, 1775, 
three thousand British troops had collected in Boston. Soon 
after, the battle of Lexington occurred, in which the British 
were defeated. To learn how these regular British soldiers 
were routed by the American farmers with their shot-guns 



Powder Magazine seized. 81 

and old rifles, you will have to read the history of the United 
States, where not only this bat all the other battles of the Rev- 
olutionary war are described. The tidings of the battle of Lex- 
ington removed all hesitation, and, excepting a few members 
of the Kings's Council, united all the people of Georgia in the 
determination to resist the British rule. Georgia cast in her 
lot with her sister colonies. News of these events made great 
excitement in Savannah. On the night of May 11, 1775, a 
party of six men, led by Josej^h Habersham, broke open the 
door of the poAvder magazine and took out all the ammunition. 
A part was sent to South Carolina, and the rest concealed in 
the cellars and garrets of the people's houses. Finally, some 
of it was sent to Boston, and was said to have been used at the 
battle of Bunker Hill. 

The king's birthday was to be celebrated June 5, 1775. 
On the night of the 2d, a party collected together, spiked the 
battery guns, and threw them off the bluff into the river. 
The royalists hoisted them up again, drilled new holes, and 
went through the ceremony, hooted and jeered at by the 
peo2)le. A liberty pole was afterward put up by the colonists, 
and a flag placed at the top. About five hundred people 
paraded through the town with noise and defiance. 

June 22d, a " Council of Safety," of fourteen members, was 
elected by the people of Savannah. They had the entire con- 
trol of the affairs of the parish. William Ewen was chosen 
president. When they began the discharge of their duties 
they were, of course, opposed by the royalists, who followed 
Governor Wright and his orders. A young man named Hop- 
kins made sport of their meeting. For this he was taken out 
to the public square, tarred and feathered, and paraded through 
the town amid the jeers of the people. He was carried to the 
liberty pole, and was threatened with hanging unless he drank 
a toast to the success of the American arms, which he hastened 
to do. He was then set free. 

The population of Georgia at this time was 17,000 whites 
6 



82 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

and 15,000 blacks. The militia numbered 3,000 men. There 
were 40,000 Indians living in the interior to the west and 
south of the Georgia colony, witli 10,000 warriors. It was 
fortunate that their friendship and peace were secured during 
the trying times of the War of the Revolution, which was fast 
approaching. 

[Ill a report of the condition of Georgia in 1773, by Governor Wright, 
we are told that the territory of Georgia at this time embraced 6,695,429 
acres. About 120,000 acres were improved and cultivated by 1,400 
plantations. "The trade of the province is principally with Great 
Britain, from whence we are supplied with linens and woollens of all 
sorts ; ironware of all sorts ; hats, shoes, stockings, and all sorts of 
apparel ; tea, paper, paints, and a great variety of other articles. To 
Great Britain we export deer-skins, rice, indigo, naval stores, and sundry 
other articles. We are supplied with rum and sugar from the West In- 
dies ; and also with rum, flour, and biscuit and other provisions from the 
northern colonies. To the West Indies we send rice, corn, peas, lum- 
ber, shingles, cattle, horses and live-stock ; also barrelled beef and 
pork. "J 

[Among the many traders interested in the cession of lands in 1773 
was George Galphin, one of the influential and enterprising citizens of 
the early history of Georgia. His home and depot of supplies was at 
Silver Bluff, on the Savannah River, a few miles below Augusta, on the 
Carolina side. His friendship and business relations, however, were 
nearly all with Georgians and Georgia Indians. His trade extended to 
Charleston, Savannah, St. Augustine. Pensacola, and Mobile. 

The claim of George Galphin for debts due him by the Indians was 
not paid by Governor Wright, because Galphin sympathized with the 
colonists. War came on, the claim was transferred to the United States, 
and it was not until 1848 that the "Galphin Claim " was settled by the 
General Government, and paid to the heirs of the Indian trader of Silver 
Bluff.] 

[William Ewen was a native of England, and came to Georgia in 1734 
as an apprentice to the Trustees. His habits were correct, and his indus- 
try made him popular. He took an active interest in the complaints 
against tlie treatment of Georgia by the Trustees, and was brought into 
frequent collision with the president of the colony. 



Questions and Topics. 83 

for liberty began, he was among the first to take up arms in defence of 
the rights of the colony. In January, 1775, he was appointed member of 
the Council of Safety, and shortly afterward became president of that 
body. He lived to see Georgia an independent State, his country free 
from the yoke of Great Britain.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who acted as governor during Governor Wright's absence ? W^hen 
did Governor W^right return to Georgia ? What can you say of him at 
this time ? What treaty was made at Augusta ? What territory was gained 
by the treaty ? What was the Boston Port Bill ? What other measures 
made the colonists discontented ? What resolutions of I'esistance were 
passed by the patriots of Savannah ? How did they show their sympathy 
with the people of Boston ? What can you say of Jonathan Bryan ? 
What can you say of " Liberty Boys," " Whigs," " Tories " ? What mes- 
sage did the delegates from the Provincial Congress send to the general 
or Continental Congress ? What about General Gage and the battle of 
Lexington ? What did Joseph Habersham and his party do ? How was 
the king's birthday celebrated ? What was the Council of Safety ? Who 
was president ? What can you tell of Hopkins ? What was the popula- 
tion of Georgia at this time ? What can you say of the Indians ? 



TOPICS. 

Tell about — 

1. Habersham's administration. 5. Resolutions at Savannah. 

2. Governor Wright's return. 6. Magazine broken open. 

3. England's further acts. 7. Disturbance on king's birthday. 

4. How the colonists resisted. 8. " Council of Safety." 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE PEOPLE OVERTHROW THE GOYERXMEXT OF THE KING. 

"Believe us, great Sir, America is not divided ; all men (Crown officers not excepted) 
speak of these acts and measures with disapprobation, and if there has been some differ- 
ence of opinion as to the mode of relief, the rigorous experiments which your Ministry 
thought fit to try on the Americans have been the most effectual means to convince 
these of the iniquitous designs of your Ministry and to unite them all as in a common 
csi\ise.'"—Frovincial C07igress^s Address to the King. 




ARCHIBALD BULLOCU. 



Governor Wright was alarmed 
at the way things looked in Georgia. 
He wrote a letter to the British 
general. Gage, asking for help. 
This letter was opened in South 
Carolina, the papers taken out, and 
another letter placed in the envel- 
ope, stating that Georgia was quiet 
and needed no help. Thus the 
royal government in Georgia had 
no aid from the British troops. 
The reason was not found out until years after, when Governor 
Wright, meeting General Gage in London, asked him why he 
had not sent soldiers to his relief. 

Governor Wright had good reason to be alarmed. Meetings 
were being held all over the province and delegates elected to 
another Provincial Congress, which a Council of Safety had 
called to meet 'at Savannah on the 4th of July, 1775. On 
that day every parish was represented and by its leading men. 
They came by authority of the people and in defiance of the 
authority of the king. Colonel C. C. Jones calls this congress 



Georgia's first secession convention. 



The delegates met in 



The Council of Safety. 85 

the long room at Tondee's Tavern, and organized by electing 
Archibald Bulloch president of the congress, and George Wal- 
ton secretary. Two days later resolutions were unanimously 
adopted, endorsing all that the Continental Congress had done, 
adopting the Bill of Rights published by thaf congress, forbid- 
ding all trade with England or with any province that did not 
agree to these resolutions, and binding themselves and their 
constituents, " by the ties of virtue, honor, and love, of our 
country, to adhere to this association,^^ until the objectionable 
acts of Parliament were repealed. A Council of Safety for the 
province was created, with power to act for the people when 
the Provincial Congress was not in session, and five delegates 
were elected to attend the Continental Congress then in session 
in Philadelphia. An address to the people of the province 
was prepared, setting forth what had been done in their 
name ; also an address to the governor ; and, as a last resort, 
a petition to the king, urging him to listen to the appeals 
of America. 

While the Provincial Congress was in session, news came 
that a British ship would arrive shortly with fourteen thousand 
pounds of powder. The people made up their minds to capture 
this prize if they could. Commodore Bowen and Major Joseph 
Habersham, with a number of volunteers, went quietly down 
the river on a schooner armed and commissioned by the Pro- 
vincial Congress. They boarded the ship as soon as it appeared 
off Tybee Island, and captured it. This was the first naval 
capture of the Revolution, and their schooner was the first 
war vessel commissioned by an American congress. Nine 
thousand pounds of powder were kept by Georgia, and five 
thousand sent to General George Washington, to help him 
to drive the British from Boston. 

Royal power was now at an end in Georgia. The militia 
companies met and expelled all royalists from their ranks. 
The Council of Safety elected by the Provincial Congress 
took charge of the affairs of the province. A battalion of 




JOSEPH HABERSHAM. 



86 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

soldiers was raised for defence against the British vessels and 
troojDS. 

The Council of Safety ordered the arrest of Governor Wright 
and his assistants in Januar}^ 1776. Major Joseph Habersham 
undertook to do this aided by a few friends only. lie Avent 
to the house of the governor^ and, boldly 
entering, passed by the sentinel and 
found the governor surrounded by his 
council. Walking up to the governor, 
he put his hand on his shoulder and 
said : " Sir James, you are my prisoner." 
Thinking his captor was well supported, 
the governor surrendered, and the mem- 
bers of his council fled. A guard was 
\ ^ placed over the house, but the governor 

escaped after three weeks, by stepping 
out of the back part of his house at night ; and before his 
absence was discovered he was safe on board a British ship 
that was lying at the mouth of the river. 

Another Provincial Congress met in Savannah on the 
22d of January, 1776, and Archibald Bulloch was elected 
president. Five delegates were elected to represent Georgia 
in the next Continental Congress at Philadelphia, and a com- 
mittee was appointed to buy arms and ammunition for the 
province. To pay for these, bills of credit were issued, and it 
was made a penal offence in Georgia to refuse to receive them 
or to depreciate their value. The most important work of 
this congress was the adoption of certain rules and regulations 
under which they organized a government. The first govern- 
ment organized by the people of Georgia was very simple. 
All the legislative power was in the hands of the Provincial 
Congress ; courts were organized in the name of the people 
for the trial of cases, and the chief executive power was vested 
in a president. Acting under this temporary constitution, 
tlie Congress elected Archibald Bulloch president and com- 



THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY. 87 

mander-in-chief of Georgia, John Glenn chief -justice, Will- 
iam Stephens attorney-general, and James Jackson clerk of 
the court. Thus Archibald Bulloch, the distinguished 
patriot, who had been president of both Provincial Congresses, 
had the honor of being elected the first president of the first 
republican government organized on Georgia soil. 

A number of vessels loaded with rice lay at the landing oppo- 
site Savannah, but, under the regulations of Congress, were 
not permitted to sail. Fearing these vessels would slip away. 
Captain Rice was detailed to disable them. British ships of 
war lay at the mouth of the river, and one night troops from 
these ships seized several of the vessels lying opposite Savan- 
nah. Captain Rice boarded one of the vessels the next morn- 
ing and was captured by the British. When the people heard 
of this they were much excited. Colonel Mcintosh, with three 
hundred men and several cannon, marched down to Yamacraw 
Bluff opposite the vessels and sent two officers to demand the 
release of Captain Rice. But these officers were also seized 
and held prisoners. Colonel Mcintosh, through a speaking 
trumpet, demanded the return of his men. This was refused, 
and a number of shots were exchanged, but the British re- 
mained in possession of the vessels. 

The Council of Safety ordered the vessels in the harbor to 
be set on fire in order to drive away the British troops. The 
ship Inveriiess was set on fire and cut loose. It drifted against 
the brig Nelly, which also took fire. These two burning ships 
drifted among the vessels which had been seized by the British. 
Several of these vessels caught fire and men and officers jumped 
overboard, some being drowned and others captured. Two ships 
escaped to the mouth of the river, carrying the Georgia officers 
with them. The Council arrested the royal chief -justice 
and other royalists and held them as hostages for the return 
of Rice and the other officers. After a long delay the officers 
were exchanged. South Carolina sent four hundred and fifty 
soldiers under Colonel Bull to help Georgia during this time. 



88 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



August 10, 1776,, 




GEORGE WALTON. 



to the top of the 
base of Avhich tlie 
read by President 
crowds of people, 
selves hoarse with 
great procession 
tlie batteries and 
lutes, a banquet 
royal government 
muffled (drum and 
night speeches wer 
fires lighted in the 



news of tlie Declaration of Independence 
reached Georgia. It had been signed 
at Philadelphia, July 4th, by the dele- 
gates of the thirteen colonies. George 
AValton, Button Gwinnett, and Lyman 
Hall signed on behalf of Georgia. It 
took a long time for ncAvs to travel in 
those days. It had to be carried by 
men on horseback or in stages which 
could not go more than thirty or 
forty miles a day. AMien the news 
did reach Georgia it was received with 
great joy. A liberty flag was run up 
liberty pole, at the 
Declaration av a s 
Bulloch to great 
who shouted them- 
excitement. A 
paraded the streets, 
the ships fired sa- 
was given, and the 
was buried with 
trailing arms. At 




BUTTON GWINNETT. 



'e made and 
streets. 



bon- 



[lu July, 1775, Archibald Bulloch, .John 
Houstoun, Rev. Dr. Zubly, Dr. Lyman Hall, 
and Dr. Xoble Wimberly Jones were elected 
delegates to the Continental Congress at 
Philadelphia. Dr. Lyman Hall and Dr. 
Noble Wimberly Jones were detained at 
home, but the other delegates took their 
seats on the 13th of September. Dr. Zubly 
had been a leader in opposition to the acts 
of Parliament, but his plan was for the 
provinces to force a repeal of these acts and a recognition of their consti- 




LYMAN HALL 



Questions and topics. so 

tutional rights, after which they shoukl renew their allegiance to the king. 
He found, however, on reaching Philadelphia, that the delegates were 
determined upon establishing a republic, and that his colleagues, Messrs. 
Bulloch and Houstoun, were heartily supporting this plan. His heart 
failed him, and he wrote to Governor Wright, telling him what was pro- 
posed. He was suspected, watched, and one of his letters seized. When 
Chase of Maryland alluded to this fact, Dr. Zubly abandoned his seat 
and returned to Georgia. He w^as banished from Savannah, but 
returned after that city was captured by the British, and died there in 
1781.] 

[In January, 1776, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Dr. Lyman Hall, 
Button Gwinnett, and George Walton were the delegates to the Conti- 
nental Congress. Bulloch, being President of Georgia, could not leave 
the State, and John Houstoun was detained at home. They thus lost the 
honor of being among the signers of the Declaration of Independence 
with the other Georgia delegates.] 



QUESTIONS. 

What of Governor Wright's letter to General Gage ? Why was Gov- 
ernor Wright alarmed ? What occurred on the 4th of July ? By 
whose authority ? Who w^as elected president ? How was Congress 
organized ? What was done ? What was the first. naval capture of the 
Revolution ? What of the militia companies ? Describe the arrest of 
Governor Wright. When did the next Provincial Congress of Georgia 
meet ? What was done ? How did they pay for supplies ? What was 
the most important work of the Congress ? What sort of government 
did they organize ? Who were the first officers of the Republic of 
Georgia ? What of the vessels lying opposite Savannah ? What news 
came in August, 1776 ? Who were the signers of the Declaration of 
Independence for the State of Georgia ? How was the news received ? 



TOPICS. 

Tell about— 

1. Governor Wright's letter. 5. The second Provincial Congress. 

2. The first Provincial Congress. 6. The Republic of Georgia. 

8. The first naval capture. 7. Burning the merchant vessels. 

4. The arrest of Governor 8. The Declaration of Independ- 
Wright. ence. 



EPOCH IV. 

Georgia an Independent State, 1776-1789. 

CHAPTER XA'L 



THE COXSTITUTIOX OF 1777 — PERMAXEXT STATE 
ORGAXIZATIOX. 

" We therefore, the representatives of the people, from whom all power originates and 
for whose benefit all government is intended, by virtue of the power delegated to us, do 
ordain and declare, and it is herebj' ordained and declared, that the following rules and 
regidations be adopted for the future government of this State."'— Extract frotn the ^first 
Constitution of the State of Georgia. 

Ix order to under- 
stand the impor- 
tance of the s t e p 
taken by our fore- 
fathers in tlie year 
1776^ a little knowl- 
edge of Civil Gov- 
ernment is neces- 
sary. A Colouf/ is a 
body of people 
planted by some 
government on for- 
eign soil. Av i t h no 
p o w e r to govern 
themselves. A Pror- 
ince is a district in 
which the people 
have a government provided for them by the power to which 




FIRST GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OP GEORGIA. 

(Obverse.) 



The Constitution of 1777. 91 

they are subject, and they enjoy certain rights and privileges. 
A State is the whole body of people united for the purpose 
of government, and not in any way subject to any outside 
power. In some cases the people are united by a written 
agreement called a Constitution, but in others they are united 
simply by mutual consent. They must own the land upon 
which they live, and the other nations of the world must admit 
their right to establish a government. England, France, and 
Spain are states. 

When Oglethor2:)e brought the lirst English settlers to this 
soil he established The Colony of Georgia. When King 
George II., in the year 1754, gave these settlers an established 
form of government in which they had certain rights, but 
were still subjects of the king, the colony became Tlte Prov- 
ince of Georgia. When the people rebelled against the au- 
thority of the king and arrested and imprisoned the governor 
who represented him, they organized a government for them- 
selves. The people thus united became The State of Georgia. 
The form of government which they selected for the State 
made it a republic. 

The government first established for the new State of 
Georgia, April 15, 1776, was temporary, because the people 
were not strong enough to defend their government alone, 
and they waited to know that they would have the sup^^ort of 
the other twelve States in the fight with England, which was 
sure to come. The Declaration of Independence assured 
them of this support, and as soon as the news reached Georgia 
a convention was called to adopt a written constitution and to 
establish a permanent government for the young republic. 
This convention met at Savannah in October, 1776. 

The convention adopted a seal for the State, to take the 
place of the old provincial seal Avhich had been used by the 
British governors and which was emblematic of their subjec- 
tion to the king. The accompanying cuts show the two sides 
of the seal of 1777, with the devices and mottoes. 



92 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



The first constitution consisted of sixty-three articles, and 
provided for a governor, a legishiture, and a judiciary. 
Members of the legishiture were to be elected in December of 
each year, and to meet in January following. The first duty 
of the legislature was to elect a governor, who should serve for 
one year, whose title should be Honorable, and an executive 
council, consisting of two of the members of the legislature 
from each county that had as many as ten representatives. 
The remaining representatives constituted the House of As- 
sembly, which had the sole power of making laws. The 
speaker of the Assembly wore his hat when presiding. 

The Executive Council took the place of our Senate, but 
did not have the same power. Laws proposed in the House of 
Assembly were referred to the Executive Council, which could 
not make amendments, but could propose them to the Assem- 
bly. A committee 
of the Council com- 
ing into the House 
of Assembly to pro- 
p s e any amend- 
ment had the privi- 
lege of sitting with 
their hats on. 

No clergyman 
could be a member 
of the legislature. 
Every person who 
failed to vote in an 
election, excei3t for 
a good reason, could 
be fined five pounds. 
Schools were to be 
established in each 
count y and sup- 
State. Free toleration of 




FIKST GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF GEOUGIA 

{Reverse.) 



ported ;it the general expense of tli 



First eight Counties. 



93 



all religions should be guaranteed^ provided they did not 
threaten the peace and safety of the State. 

The twelve parishes were abolished, and the State was 




divided into eight counties. The names of the first eight 
counties are Wilkes, Richmond, Burke, Effingham, Chatham, 
Glynn, Camden, and Liberty. 



94 History of Georgia. 

The first seven of these were named for English sttatesmen 
who had been the champions of the rights of tlie American 
colonies. The last one was so named on acconnt of the devo- 
tion of the citizens of St. John's parish to the cause of liberty. 
It will be remembered that this parish alone sent a representa- 
tive, Lyman Hall, to the meeting of the Continental Congress, 
and that two of its citizens, Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett, 
had been signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

The convention remained in session four months. It was 
the 5th of February, 1777, when the first permanent constitu- 
tion of the State of Georgia was adopted. Archibald Bulloch 
was to continue as president until the legislature should elect 
the first governor. 

Before the end of February President Bulloch died, and on 
the -Jrth of ^larch Button Gwinnett (see sketch, j). 101) was 
elected by the Council of Safety president and commander- 
in-chief, to serve until a governor could be elected under the 
new constitution. Gwinnett at once issued a proclamation 
ordering a sjoecial election for members of a legislature, Avhicli 
he called to meet in Savannah the first Tuesday in May. 

Lachlan ^[clntosh had recently been made a brigadier-gen- 
eral and placed in command of the Georgia forces. 

Gwinnett had also been a candidate for the position of 
brigadier- general. When Mcintosh was chosen Gwinnett was 
much disaj^pointed. When Gwinnett became president and 
commander-in-chief, he resolved to ignore and humiliate his 
rival by heading in ^^erson an expedition against the British in 
Florida, who had invaded Georgia, captured Fort Mcintosh, 
and committed other depredations. He did not allow ^Fcln- 
tosh to accompany even his own brigade. But the expedition 
was badly planned, and fidled in every particular. 

AYhile these things were going on, the special election for 
members of the legislature had been held, and the first legis- 
lature of the State of Georgia met in Savannah on the eighth 
day of May, 1777. (Jwinuett Avas a candidate for the position 



Death of Gwinnett. 



95 



of governor, but Jolm Adam Treutlen was elected by a large 

majority. 

defeat of 



gratified 



at the 



General Mclntosii was mucl 

Gwinnett, and 
did not hesitate to say so. 
This provoked Gwinnett, 
who sent him a challenge 
to fight a duel. They 
met at sunrise within 
the limits of the present 
city of Savannah. They 
exchanged shots at the dis- 
tance of twelve paces ; 
both were Avounded in the 
thigh. Gwinnett died 
twelve days after the duel. 
Mcintosh recovered, and 

was transferred by the advice of his friends to the Continental 
army, in the western districts of Virginia and Pennsylvania. 




HOUSE WHERE THE FIRST LEGISLATURE MET. 



QUESTIONS. 

What is a colony ? A province ? A state ? When was Georgia a 
colony ? When a province ? When a state ? What form of govern- 
ment was chosen ? Why was the first government temporary ? Why 
was the convention called ? When did it meet ? Describe the Great 
Seal. How was the government divided ? How was the governor to be 
elected ? Who constituted the Executive Council ? What was the 
House of Assembly ? Mention some provisions of the constitution. 
Name the first eight counties. Who succeeded President Bulloch ? 
Explain the quarrel between Gwinnett and Mcintosh. Who was the 
first governor of Georgia ? What was the result of Gwinnett's defeat ? 



TOPICS. 

Tell about— 

1. How the State was established. 4. The first eight counties. 

2. Provisions of the constitution. 5. The first governor. 

3. The Great Seal of State. 6. The Gwinnett-Mcintosh duel. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE BRITISH OVER-RUX GEOROIA. 




"At this period Georgia occupied a very critical situation. Of all the colonies, none 
was so ill prepared to dispute the claims of the mother country. On the south, she was 
exposed to the attacks of the British from Florida ; on the east, her coast was at the 
mercy of the foe ; on the north and west, countless tribes of savages were ready to make 
inroads upon her population."— White's Hist. Coll. of Georgia. 

JoHX Adam Treutlex, the 
first governoi' of the State of 
Georgia, was at once inaugurated. 
The Council of Safety Avas dis- 
solved, and an Executive Council 
was elected under the constitution. 
During the months that followed, 
the ])eople were busy fortifying the 
towns, collecting provisions, and 
preparing to stand the shock of 
war. Colonel Samuel Elbert suc- 
ceeded Mcintosh in command of 
the Georgia troops. Tories and Indians in East Florida made 
frequent raids into southern Georgia, murdering citizens, burn- 
ing houses, and stealing cattle. These marauders were under 
the command of the notorious Colonel McGirth. 

When the legislature met on January 17, 1778, John 
Houstoun was elected governor. Governor Treutlen being 
ineligible under the constitution for reelection. Governor 
Houstoun, like Gwinnett, was very anxious to drive the 
British from East Florida. 

Major-General Robert Howe, commander of the American 
army in the Southern States, had his headquarters at Savan- 



JOHN A. TREUTLEN. 



THE BRITISH OVER-RUN GEORGIA. 97 

nail. He was won over to Governor Houstoun's plans, and 
organized an expedition to capture East Florida. He marched 
the Georgia brigade to the St. Mary's River, and waited for 
other troops to arrive by sea. Hearing that a force of British 
were within fourteen miles of his camp. General Howe resolved 
to attack them without waiting for the other forces. The 
attack failed, however, and nothing came of the expedition. 

While these events had been ha^jpening in Georgia, the AYar 
for Independence was being fought in the North. At first the 
king's armies had triumphed. They captured New York City 
and Philadelphia, and for a while held the entire State of New 
Jersey, with parts of New York and Connecticut. But the 
tide had turned. One of the king's armies, under General 
Burgoyne, had surrendered at Saratoga, and France, encour- 
aged by this success, had recognized the States as independent, 
and promised to send soldiers and ships of war to assist them 
in resisting the king. AVashington forced the British to 
abandon Philadelphia, and gradually all the lost territory was 
regained, so that, as the year 1778 drew to a close, nothing was 
left to the king except New York City and Newport. 

Under these circumstances, the British general. Sir Henry 
Clinton, determined to conquer Georgia and South Carolina. 
He sent Colonel Campbell from New York to Savannah with 
a fleet of ten vessels and thirty-five hundred men, and at the 
same time he ordered General Augustin Prevost {Pre-vo), com- 
mander of the British forces in Florida, to invade Georgia 
from the south. 

General Prevost organized two expeditions. One, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Fuser, went by sea, and the other, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Prevost, marched overland. They 
were to meet at Sunbury. McGirth, with three hundred 
Tories and Indians, accompanied Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost. 
On the 19tli of November the invaders entered Georgia and 
proceeded toward Sunbury. Colonel John Baker hastily col- 
lected some militia to oppose them, but was compelled to re- 
7 



98 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

treat. On the 24tli a fight occurred near the Midway chnrch. 
in which the Georgia militia were outnumbered and driven 
back. General James Screven, who was severely wounded,, 
was taken prisoner by the British, and was killed by them 
after he had surrendered. Finding that Colonel Fuser had 
not reached Snnbury, Colonel Prevost burned the Midway 
church and returned to Florida, plundering and burning all 
the dwelling-houses within reach. 

Colonel Fuser, having been delayed by head winds, reached 
Sunbury late in November, and summoned Colonel John 
Mcintosh, in command of Fort Morris, to surrender. To this 
summons Colonel Mcintosh made the bold reply : '* Come and 
take it." Fuser, hearing of Prevost's return to Florida, raised 
the siege and retired to Frederica. The legislature of Georgia 
presented to Colonel Mcintosh a sword, with the words '• Come 
and take it '' engraved upon it. 

On the 27th of December, 1778, the fleet from Xew York 
under Colonel Campbell entered the Savannah Eiver and 
anchored below the city. The news was brought to General 
Howe, and he at once set to work to defend Savannah. 

The British landed a few miles south of Savannah, where 
they waited to learn Howe's position and strength. The 
Americans had chosen a strong position between a wooded 
swamp and the Savannah Eiver. Their front was protected 
by a stream, the bridge over which had been burned, and by 
a ditch filled with water from the marsh. Here they awaited 
the attack confidently, although they had less than seven hun- 
dred men to oppose nearly three thousand British regulars. 

The British commander thought the American position was 
too strong to be attacked in front, and he determined to find 
a way through the swamp by which he could pass around their 
lines and attack them in the rear. By chance, he met an old 
negro man who knew the roads and pointed out a 2^ath lead- 
ing through the swamp directly to the rear of General Howe's 
army. This path had been left unguarded. Colonel Camp- 



THE BRITISH OVER-RUN GEORGIA. 



99 



bell posted his artillery and drew up part of his force in line 
of battle before the American lines^ as if about to make an 
attack, but secretly sent his light infantry through the swamp 
by the path, with the old negro as a guide. 

While the Americans were engaged with the enemy in front, 
the regiments that had been sent through the swamp sud- 
denly appeared on their flank and in the rear. At the same 
moment the British artillery opened fire and a charge was 
ordered all along the line. Surrounded and outnumbered, 
the Americans fought gallantly, but resistance was in vain, 

and they were driven 
L from the field. The 

British pursued them 
into Savannah. 
Some were taken 
prisoners, some were 
wounded, and many 
Avere run throng h 
with the bayonet in 
the streets of Savan- 
nah by the British 
soldiers. General 
Howe, with the rem- 
nant of his army, re- 
treated up the Savan- 
nah Eiver, and two 
days later crossed 
into South Carolina, 
where he was relieved of his command, being superseded by 
General Benjamin Lincoln. 

Savannah fell into the hands of the British, who plundered 
the houses of the patriots. Many of the leading citizens, 
including the aged Jonathan Bryan, were arrested and con- 
fined on prison ships. Colonel Campbell pressed on to Eben- 
ezer, which he captured, and this place became a British out- 




SALZBURGER CHURCH. 



100 History of Georgia. 

post for the rest of the war. The fine brick church of the 
Salzburgers, built in 1T67, was used by the British troopers, 
first as a hospital, and then as a stable for their horses. This 
church is standing to-day. 

General Augustin Prevost, marching overland from Florida 
with several thousand soldiers, reached Sunbury on the 9th of 
January, and captured Fort ^lorris, with its garrison of two 
hundred and twelve officers and men and all the stores of war. 
He then proceeded to Savannah, where he took command of 
the British forces in Georgia. Colonel Campbell, with a 
thousand men, was sent out from Savannah to capture 
Augusta, the only post in Georgia held by the Americans. 
Colonels Brown and McGirth commanded the advanced 
guard, and were defeated in Burke County by a band of 
Georgians under Colonels John Twiggs and Benjamin and 
AVilliam Few. Two days later they were again defeated, but 
Colonel Campbell coming to their assistance, the Georgians 
were forced to retreat, and Augusta was captured without a 
struggle. Colonel Brown, notorious for his cruelty, was left 
in command, and Colonel Campbell nuirehed into Wilkes 
County. Many families fled to South Carolina. Georgia 
was thus completely occupied by the armies of the king. 

Parties of royalists and Tories went through the country, 
burning houses, stealing property, and terrifying tlie people. 
A noted Tory named Boyd led a large band of these '^\\u\- 
derers into AVilkes County. Colonel Pickens, of South Caro- 
lina, and Colonel John Dooly, of Georgia, with a small force, 
had crossed the Savannah River and had defeated the British 
forces at Carres Fort, which they were besieging. They 
abandoned the siege and started in pursuit of Boyd, and were 
reenforced by one hundred dragoons under Colonel Clark. 
On the night of the 13th of February they cami)ed at Clark's 
Creek, and early the next morning they surprised l^oyd in his 
camp at Kettle Creek, where his men had turned out tlieir 
horses and were preparing breakfast. A bloody fight fol- 



The British Over-run Georgia. loi 

lowed, in which Boyd was killed and his band captured or 
scattered. The Americans captnred six hundred horses and 
a large quantity of arms and clothing. This victory at this 
time gave renewed courage to the patriots of Georgia^, and is 
known as the battle of Kettle Creek. 

Instances of adventure and hair-breadth escapes were fre- 
quent at this time. Desiring to know more about the defences 
of Augusta, Colonel Samuel Elbert sent a young lieutenant, 
named Hawkins, to get the information. Near an outpost 
Hawkins came suddenly ujoon three Tories. To avoid them 
Avas impossible, so he advanced and boldly inquired : " Who 
are you and where are you going ? ^' They replied that they 
were on their way to join the British commander McGirth. 
Hawkins had on a British uniform, and so he said: "1 am 
McGirth ; but I take you to be rebels, and shall turn you over 
to my camp, near by.'' They protested their innocence, and 
upon the order of Hawkins placed their guns on the ground. 
No sooner had they done this than he levelled two pistols at 
them and shouted : '' Hold up your hands ! " They were 
greatly astonished, but obeyed the order, and were marched 
in front of Hawkins back to the American camp. 

[Button Gwinnett was born in England, and came to Georgia in 1772. 
In 177G he represented Georgia in the Continental Congress, and his 
name is affixed to the Declaration of Independence. He was a member 
of the convention of 1777 to frame a constitution for Georgia. On the 
death of Archibald Bulloch he became President of Georgia.] 

[Of the birth and education of John Adam Treutlen but little is 
known. He was a member of the Provincial Congress of 1775, from the 
parish of St. Andrew. Having been driven out of Georgia by British 
and Tories, he moved to South Carolina, where he established himself, 
with his family, in a block-house. Here he met a most tragic death. 
Attacked by British and Tories, who deceived him by declaring that all 
they wanted was food, he unbarred his doors, when he was immediately 
taken out and " drawn and quartered " in the presence of his family. His 
grave is unmarked, and Georgia so far has failed to respect his memory 
by naming any county in his honor.] 



102 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

[John Ploustoun was among the earliest and most zealous patriots 
in the colony. He was appointed in 1775 to represent Georgia in the 
Continental Congress, and also in 1776. His name would have been 
signed to the Declaration of Independence, but he returned to counter- 
act the evil influence of Dr. Zubly, who was opposed to the measure. In 
1777 he was elected a member of the Executive Council, and, in 1778, 
became Governor of Georgia. He died at White Bluff, near Savan- 
nah, July 20, 179G.] 

QUESTIONS 

What occurred during the administration of Governor Treutlen ? 
Who succeeded him as governor ? What expedition did he plan ? 
Who commanded it ? The result ? What war was going on in the 
North ? Give some of the events that had occurred. What did General 
Clinton now propose ? What two expeditions did General Prevost 
organize V Who opposed the invaders ? With what success ? What 
of General Mcintosh's defence of Fort Morris ? What fleet appeared 
before Savannah V Describe the attack on the city. Why were the 
enemy successful ? How did the British treat the inhabitants of Savan- 
nah ? What place was Colonel Campbell sent to capture ? How much 
of Georgia was held by the British at this time ? Describe the battle 
of Kettle Creek. What of Hawkins's adventure ? 



TOPICS. 

Tell about— 

1. Governor Treutlen's adminis- 5. General Prevost's expedi- 

tration. tion. 

2. Governor lloustoun's adminis- 6. Capture of Augusta. 

tration. 7. Battle of Kettle Creek. 

3. Expeditions against Savannah. 8. Lieutenant Hawkins's adven- 

4. Ca{)ture of Savannah. ture. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN GEORGIA. 

" Governor Wright, at Savannah, supported l)^' the king's army, was striving to re-create 
the royal government ; while at Augusta the members of the Sui)reme Executive Council, 
invested with unlimited powers, yet sadly deficient in all material appliances, were 
endeavoring to perpetuate the sovereignty of a republican State, just born into the sister- 
hood of nations, and to arm, feed, and clothe a patriot band, few in numbers yet brave 
of heart, fighting for home and property and liberty."— Chakles C. Jones, Jr. 

During the months of January and February, 1779, while 
the British were in possession of Georgia, the southern divi- 
sion of the Continental army rested quietly at Purysburg on 
the Savannah River, in South Carolina, about forty miles 
above Savannah. At this point General Lincoln could protect 
the Carolinas from invasion while he was drilling and equip- 
ping the raw recruits sent in from the Carolinas. By the end 
of February he had collected about five thousand men in his 
camp, and he had at his command three or four thousand 
more at different points in South Carolina along the Savan- 
nah River. Colonel Campbell, in command of the British 
forces at Augusta, became very much alarmed at the situation. 
The defeat of Boyd at Kettle Creek had broken up the Tories, 
and Colonels Clark, Pickens, and Dooly were moving against 
Augusta from the north. A few thousand men thrown across 
the Savannah River would completely cut him off from the 
main body of the British army. In the latter part of Feb- 
ruary he hurriedly abandoned Augusta, not even taking time 
to destroy the militaiy stores which he could not carry with 
him, and took a position at Hudson's Ferry, on the Savannah 
River, thirteen miles below the mouth of Brier Creek. 

Although his army was badly armed and badly equipped, 



104 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

G-eueral Lincoln felt that he was strong enough to make an 
effort to drive the British from Georgia, and on the 1st of 
March sent General Ashe, with twenty-three hundred men, 
across the Savannah Eiver, to occupy a strong position and 
hold it until the entire American army could be concentrated 
there. General Ashe chose a position which he regarded as 
particularly strong, on the north side of Brier Creek. Feeling 
very confident of the strength of his position, he sent out 
various scouting parties, retaining only about eight hundred 
men in camp. Part of these Avere militia, armed with shot- 
guns and rifles. 

Colonel Campbell, hearing of General Lincoln's plans, de- 
termined to prevent the concentration by attacking and defeat- 
ing General Ashe before the other generals could join him. 
The British commander, Avith nine hundred regulars, crossed 
Brier Creek some distance above General Ashe's position, and 
Avas not discovered until he arrived Avithin a mile of the 
American camp. The long roll Avas sounded and the line of 
battle Avas hastily formed, but the j^oorly armed and raw 
recruits Avere no match for the British regulars. The Ameri- 
can centre and right Aving gave Avay at the first attack, and 
the men took refuge in the SAvamps of the Savannah Kiver. 
Some SAvam to the South Carolina shore, but many Avere 
droAvned in the attempt. The left Aving, consisting of one 
hundred and fifty Georgia militia and sixty Continentals, 
under General Samuel Elbert and Colonel John Mcintosh, 
made a gallant fight. Notwithstanding the overAvhelming 
force against them. General Elbert continued the conflict 
until nearly every man in his command Avas either killed, 
Avounded, or captured. He himself Avas taken prisoner. 

General Ashe escaped Avith such of his command as could 
folloAV him through the SAvamps, leaving three hundred and 
forty men dead or prisoners, and nearly all his arms and camp 
equipments in the hands of the British. The large number 
of slain Avas due to the order of a British otficer Avho cried out 



The Progress of the War in Georgia. io5 



to his men : '' Every man of yon that takes a prisoner shall 
lose his ration of rum/' The enemy lost only sixteen men. 
This disaster was keenly felt by General Lincoln, who 
was compelled to abandon his campaign for the relief of 
Georgia. 

In April following, General Lincoln decided to occupy 
Augusta in order to prevent supplies being sent in to the 
British army at Savannah ; and leaving General Moultrie at 
Purysburg with twelve hundred men to protect Carolina, he 
set out for Augusta wdth about two thousand men. As soon as 

General Prevost heard of this 
he put his army in motion, 
crossed the river at Purys- 
burg , and marched toward 
Charleston. General Lincoln 
hastened to protect Charles- 
ton, and General Prevost re- 
treated to Savannah. A 
month later. General Lachlan 
Mcintosh, who had distin- 
guished himself under General 
"Washington, was sent back to 
Georgia to take command of 
the forces in the State. He was second to General Lincoln, 
who remained in South Carolina with the main body of the 
army. 

When Savannah fell Governor Houstoun and the Council 
withdrew to Augusta and summoned the General Assembly to 
meet them in January to elect a Governor. But ten days 
later Colonel Campbell's troops occupied Augusta, and the 
State officers sought refuge in the Carolinas. Consequently 
there was no meeting of the Assembly. The State was with- 
out a regular governor and council. After Augusta was 
abandoned by the British, the legislature met there, but did 
not have a quorum. The few members present elected a new 




GENERAL LACHLAN McINTOSH. 



100 History of Georgia. 

executive council. John Wereat was elected President of the 
Council and acted as Governor. 

France had sent a great fleet under Count d'Estaing to assist 
tlie States in their struggle for independence. This fleet re- 
mained for a while at Sandy Hook, intercejitino; British ships, 
and sailed to the West Indies to j^i'otect French interests. 
In August, 1779, General Lincoln, with the assistance of tlie 
l^'rench minister and Governor Rutledge of South Carolina, 
persuaded Count d'Estaing to bring his fleet to assist in recap- 
turing Savannah. The French fleet consisted of twenty-two 
ships of the line, ten frigates, and one cutter. They reached 
the coast of Georgia the 1st of September. 

(ieneral Prevost, in Savannah, hearing that the French fleet 
liad come, sent orders for all outposts to fall back into the 
city, and for all boats to retire up the river. lie began 
to fortify the city thoroughly, working the soldiers, sailors, 
and a large body of negroes night and day. The cannon 
were taken from the ships of war and mounted around the 
city, and a messenger was sent to Colonel ]Maitland at Port 
Royal to come at once to Savannah. 

Among the outposts ordered into Savannah by Prevost was 
a large body of British under Captain French at Sunbury. 
They tried to bring flve vessels, manned by forty sailors and a 
body of over a hundred soldiers, up by the coast inlets and 
canals to Savannah before the Americans could cut them oif. 
But head winds delayed them, and they landed about fifteen 
miles from Savannah, hoping to march up into the city with- 
out being found out. The Americans heard of their presence, 
and Colonel John White, of the Georgia line, resolved to cap- 
ture them if he could. When he told how he intended to do 
it, the officers laughed at him. He took only six men to help 
him, and quietly went by night to the neighborhood of the 
British cam}). Here he and his companions built a number 
of ciini}) fires such as would be used by a large force of men. 
They moved around the fires, showing themselves as much as 



THE PROGRESS OP THE WAR IN GEORGIA. 107 

possible. Mounting horses, they galloped up and down the line 
of the camp fires, issuing orders in loud tones, as if command- 
ing several hundred men. They appeared first at one end of 
the camp and then at the other in rapid succession. These 
movements deceived the British completely, who thought 
themselves surrounded by a large body of Americans. 

At last Colonel White dashed into the British camp and 
rode up to the officer in command. '' Surrender at once, sir,"* 
said he. ''I am in command of the American soldiers you 
see yonder. They are restless for the attack, and I cannot 
restrain them any longer. If they fall upon your men they 
will cut your whole force to pieces.'^ At this time a man 
dashed up on horseback and demanded of Colonel White, 
" Where shall I place the artillery, sir V '^'Keep them back, 
sir, keep them back. The British will surrender,^' replied 
AVhite in excited tones. '' Go and send me six guides to 
Sunbury.'' The British officer thanked Colonel White for 
restraining his men, and readily surrendered. The six guides 
arrived and took charge of the prisoners, nearly one hundred 
and fifty in all. Colonel AVhite went back, as he said, to hold 
his cavalry in check and prevent them rushing on the prison- 
ers. The five vessels were burned, the guns and ammunition 
stored in a hiding-place, and the 2)risoners brought safely to the 
American lines at Sunbury. 

D'Estaing moved up the river, capturing several vessels 
near Tybee. September 12th, he sailed up Vernon River and 
landed his troops at Beaulieu, the old home of President Wil- 
liam Stephens. He then marched toward Savannah, and 
camped three miles from the city. 

[John Wereat was an early and decided advocate of American lib- 
erty. He was a member of the first Provincial Congress in 1775, a 
speaker of the Provincial Congress of 1776. In 1782 the people west 
of Augusta suffered a great deal from lack of food. Wereat employed 
his negroes and boats for a considerable time in carrying rice to relieve 
their wants. He died in Bryan County in 1798.] 



108 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

[Lachlan Mcintosh was born in Scotland, 1725. His father had come 
to Georgia in 1786 with a company of Highlanders, and settled at Darien. 
Lachlan studied mathematics under Oglethorpe himself. He became a 
distinguished soldier, of w^hora Washington said: " I esteem him an offi- 
cer of great merit and worth." He died in Savannah in 1806.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What of General Lincoln ? Why was Augusta abandoned by the British ? 
What were General Lincoln's plans? What of General Ashe? What did 
Colonel Campbell do? Describe the. battle of Brier Creek. Why did 
General Lincoln abandon Georgia? What general took command in 
Georgia? What had become of the State officers? What of the French 
fleet? What did General Prevost do ? Describe Col. John White's cap- 
ture. What did D'Estaing do? 

TOPICS. 

TdJ ahoiff— 

1. Augusta's being abandoned. 4. The State government. 

2. General Lincoln's plans. 5. The French fleet. 

3. The battle of Ashe Creek. 6. Colonel WhiteVs exploit. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE ATTACK UPON SAYANXAH. 

" While I regret the misfortune, I feel very sensible pleasure in contemplating the gal- 
lant behavior of the officers and men of the French and American army ; and it adds not 
a little to my consolation to learn that instead of the mutual reproaches which too often 
follow the failure of enterprises depending upon the cooperation of troops of different 
nations, their confldeuce in and esteem for each otlier are increased.'"— George Washing- 
ton to General Lincoln. 




COUNT C. PULASKI. 



On the loth of September, 1779, 
Count d'Estaing sent a letter to Gen- 
eral Prevost, demanding the ^^surren- 
der of Savannah to the arms of the 
King of France/^ The British defences 
were still incomplete ; the cannon were 
not mounted, and it would have been 
impossible for them to offer a successful 
resistance if an assault had been made. 
General Prevost needed time to com- 
plete these defences, and so he proposed 
a truce for twenty-four hours, and 
promised to give his answer at the end of that time. Count 
d'Estaing consented, and most unfortunately for the American 
cause. During the night the fortifications were finished, and 
the British garrison was reenforced by the arrival of eight hun- 
dred soldiers under Colonel Maitland from Port Royal. At 
the end of the twenty-four hours General Prevost replied that 
he would hold the city until driven out of it. 

On the 16th the American army under General Lincoln 
marched down from Ebenezer and took a position on the north 
side of the city. The American cavalry were west of the city. 



110 History of Georgia. 

and tlie French forces were camped south and southwest. Xow 
a re<^'uhir siege was begun. Short sallies, skirniishevS, and firing 
of cannon occurred almost daily. The bombardment made no 
impression on the forts around the city, but the people of Savan- 
nah suffered a great deal. A letter written by an eye-witness 
describing the scene says : '' The poor women and children have 
suffered beyond description. A number of them in Savannah 
have already been put to death by our bombs and cannon. A 
deserter has this moment come out, who gives an account that 
many of them were killed in their beds, and, amongst others, 
a poor woman with an infant in her arms was destroyed by a 
cannon-ball. They have all got into cellars, but even those do 
not escape the fury of our bombs.*' 

When the siege had continued about three weeks, Count 
d'Estaing grew impatient. ^lany of his soldiers and sailors 
were sick, and the coming of autumn with its storms threat- 
ened his fleet. lie therefore resolved to storm the works and 
capture the city, and General Lincoln unfortunately gave his 
consent. At three o'clock on the morning of October 9th, 
twenty-five hundred men were set in motion for the enemy's 
works. The assault was to have been made before the day 
dawned, but the troops were delayed by the darkness, and 
it was daylight when they reached the edge of the woods 
before the enemy's lines. The battle was begun by an attack 
on the left, intended to draw the attention of the British from 
the right, the real point to be attacked; but the British were 
not deceived by this, as a deserter had informed them of 
the plans, and they had posted their best soldiers where the 
assault was to be made. As soon as the cannon began firing 
on the left, the French troops mm'ed forward. Count d'Es- 
taing was at the head of the column, and led his soldiers up 
the ])reast works to the very mouth of the cannon. His troops 
fell thickly about him, and he was wounded in the shoulder. 
The bravest men could not stand the deadly fire, and the col- 
umn was driven back. Count d'Estaing rallied his troops, 



The attack upon Sayaxnah. hi 

re-formed his lines, and charged again^ only to be again driven 
back. In the third charge he was again wounded, and was 
borne from the field. 

At the same time an American column, led by Colonel 
Laurens, advanced toward Spring Ilill redoubt, the strongest 
of all the forts. They were received with a galling fire from 
the guns of the fort. Many were cut down, but their comrades 
pressed on. They reached the ditch and passed it. They 
climbed the parapet, and planted on its top the flag^of South 
Carolina, a flag that had been presented to the regiment by 
Mrs. Elliott, of Charleston. A storm of shot drove back 
the brave men, and cut down the stafi: of the flag. Sergeant 
William Jasper saw that it would fall into the hands of the 
British, and leaped again on the wall, seized the fallen flag, 
and carried it back to the regiment. At that moment he re- 
ceived a mortal wound. He was borne from the field, and on 
his death-bed said, •' I have got my furlough ; " and, pointing 
to his sword, continued : '' That sword w^as presented to me 
by General Rutledge for my services in defence of Fort Moul- 
trie. Give it to my father, and tell him that I have worn it 
with honor. If he should weep, say to him his son died in the 
hope of a better life. Tell Mrs. Elliott that I lost my life sup- 
porting the colors which she presented to our regiment." 

Between the French and American armies. Count Pulaski, 
mounted on a beautiful black horse, rode at the head of the 
cavalry. The i:>lan was for him to hold his command in 
reserve nntil the works were carried by one of the assaulting 
columns. In the midst of the conflict, Pulaski thought 
he saw an opening in the enemy^s works, and resolved to 
charge through with his legion and a detachment of Georgia 
cavalry. Piding in advance, Pulaski shouted to his men to 
follow, and they rode at full speed after him. As they 
reached the gap between two batteries, a cross-fire poured a 
shower of shot into their ranks. Pulaski fell, wounded in the 
breast and in the thio-h. In the retreat he was left where he 



112 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



fell, but Captain Thomas Glascock, a young Georgian of 
Pulaski^s legion, returned with a few men through a storm 
of shot and shell and rescued his wounded leader. Pulaski 
was placed on an American A^essel, and was attended by the 
French surgeons, but he died a few days later on the way 
to Charleston, and his body was dropped into the ocean. 

The repulse was complete. The French and American 
soldiers had done all that brave men could. The British 
forts could not be carried, and a 
thousand dead and wounded lay 
upon the field of battle. Two of the 
heroes of the Eevolution, Count 
Pulaski and Sergeant Jas2:»er, had 
sacrificed their lives for the liberty of 
Georgia. In after years the legisla- 
ture named a county in honor of 
each, and the people of Savannah 
have erected in their public squares 
monuments to the men who gave 
their lives to redeem that city. 
The next day a truce was agreed upon, and the dead were 
buried. Count d'Estaing took his broken army on board his 
ships and sailed away. General Lincoln retreated to Eben- 
ezer, and thence to Charleston. For the time, Georgia was 
again completely in the hands of the British. 

[About this time there lived in Liberty County a famous partisan by 
the name of Robert Sallette, of whose exploits the following accounts 
liave been written: " He appears to liave been a sort of roving character, 
doing things in his own way. The Tories stood very much in dread of 
him, and well they might* foi' never had they a more formidable foe. 
On one occasion a Tory who possessed considerable property offered a 
reward of one hundred guineas to any person who would bring him 
Sallette's head. This w\is made known to our hero, who provided liim- 
self with a bag, in which he placed a pumpkin, and proceeded to the 
house of the Tory, and told h-im that, having understood he had offered 
one hundred guineas for Sallette's head, he had it with him, and that he 




GENERAL THOMAS GLASCOCK. 



The attack upon savannah. 113 

was ready to deliver it provided the money was first counted out for him. 
The Tory, believing that the bag contained Sallette's head, laid down the 
money, upon which Sallette pulled off his hat, and placing his hand upon 
his head, said : ' Here is Sallette's head.' This answer so frightened the 
Tory that he immediately took to his heels, but a well-directed shot from 
Sallette brought him to the grouiul.""] 

[Thomas Glascock, a son of William Glascock, Speaker of the House 
of Representatives, was born at Augusta, Ga. He served as captain 
in Pulaski's Legion. He subsequently became colonel in the war with 
the Creek Indians, and later was made brigadier-general. He was 
twice elected to Congress, He died at Decatur in 1841.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What letter did D'Estaing send to General Prevost ? What reply did 
Prevost make? Why? W^hat occurred during the truce? What did the 
American and French army then do ? Describe the sufferings of the 
citizens during the bombardment. What did D'Estaing resolve to do, 
and why ? Describe the first attack. Tell of D'Estaing's bravery, and 
how he was wounded. What of the American column ? What of 
Sergeant Jasper? Tell how he was wounded. What did he say on his 
death-bed ? Describe the conduct and death of Pulaski. What was the 
result of the attack on Savannah ? How are Pulaski and Jasper hon- 
ored? What did D'Estaing and Lincoln do? 

TOPICS. 

The Repulse at Savannah : 

1. Summoned to surrender, 5. D'Estaing wounded. 

2. Prevost's strategy. 6, Death of Jasper. 

3. Bombardment. 7. Death of Pulaski. 

4. The charge at daybreak. 8. The repulse. 



CHAPTER XX. 

AUGUSTA TAKEX AXD RETAKEX. 

" The condition of the republicans in Georgia was indeed deplorable. Driven from 
Savannah and tiie seaboard, compelled to evacuate Augusta, hemmed in by hostile Indians 
on the frontier, and confined mostlj' to a few scattered settlements in and around Wilkes 
County, they lived in daily peril, had almost daily skirmishes with regular Tories or 
Indians, were harassed with alarms, were surprised by ambuscades, were pierced with 
want, and had one long, bitter struggle for simple existence, with scarce a ray of hope to 
light up the future."— Stevens' History of Georgia. 




After the repulse of the Ameri- 
cans, Sir James Wright, wlio liad 
returned in July previous and re- 
sumed his office of governor of the 
province, issued a proclamation prom- 
ising protection to all (leorgians who 
would submit to British rule. He 
called a Provincial Assembly, which 
convened at Savannah in May fol- 
lowing, and passed an act declaring 
all officers of the State of Georgia 
to be traitors and all their prop- 
erty forfeited to the crown. 

At Augusta, John Wereat, president of the Council, was 
acting as governor. On the 4th of ISTovember, 1779, he 
Issued a proclamation calling for the regular election, on the 
first Tuesday in December, of members of a General Assembly, 
to meet in Augusta in January following, and authorizing the 
citizens of the southern counties which were held by the Brit- 
ish to cast their votes for delegates wherever it might be most 
convenient for them to do so. A few days after the proclama- 



GENEKAL ELI.JAH CLARKE. 



AUGUSTA TAKEN AND RETAKEN. 115 

tion was issued^ George Walton denounced as illegal the elec- 
tion of AVereat and the Council in August preceding. He 
persuaded a number of refugees from the southern counties, 
wli'o had been members of the previous assemblies, to organize 
at Augusta a body called a General Assembly. This assembly, 
although unconstitutional, elected George Walton governor. 
Thus, at the time of sore trial the re2:)ublic was divided into 
factions, and for over a month had two acting governors, 
neither of whom was legally elected. The General Assembly 
elected in December, 1779, met in Augusta on the 4th of 
January, 1780, and elected Eichard Howley governor. The 
defenceless condition of Augusta made it so unsafe that the 
assembly designated Heard's Fort, where Wasliington, in 
Wilkes County, now stands, as a place of meeting if it became 
necessary to leave Augusta. A month later Heard's Fort 
became the temporary capital of the State of Georgia. Gov- 
ernor Howley left the State to take his seat in the Continental 
Congress, and George Wells, the president of the Council, 
acted as governor during his absence. Upon the death of 
President AYells on the 18th of February, Stephen Heard, of 
AVilkes County, was elected president of the Council, and 
acted as governor for some time. 

Charleston fell in ^lay, and Augusta was at once occupied 
by a British force under Colonels Brown and Grierson, two 
Tory officers. Brown was living in Augusta when the people 
rebelled against the king, and had given such offence to the 
citizens that he had been tarred and feathered and carried 
through the streets in a cart by an angry mob. He made his 
escape from Georgia, vowing vengeance against all patriots. 
Being now intrusted with the command of the British forces 
at Augusta, he had an opportunity for revenge. He seized 
all the property of the republicans, and then issued an order 
banishing them and their families beyond the limits of Geor- 
gia. All who remained Avere compelled to take the oath of 
allegiance to the king, and Colonel John Doolv, one of the 



116 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

leading patriots, was murdered in his liome, in the ^^I'esence of 
his wife and children. 

The 2^'itriots of Georgia and Carolina had not entirely lost 
heart. Colonel Elijah Clarke, who had been with the Conti- 
nental army in Xorth Carolina, returned home and set about 
collecting troops to retake Augusta. Five hundred men were 
gotten together, and on the 14th of September marched to 
Augusta. An attack was made on the Indian camp at Hawk's 
Gully, and Brown and Grierson, the British officers, came to 
their support. Being hotly pressed, the British took refuge 
in a strong building called Seymour's White House. Tliis 
they defended. Colonel Clarke laid siege to the house for 
four days. Brown was wounded, and many of his men were 
killed. The British were on the point of starvation, and were 
nearly famished for water. They were iibout to surrender 
when reenforcements from Ninety-Six arrived, and the Amer- 
icans Avere forced to retreat, leaving thirty wounded soldiers 
in the hands of the British. 

The cruelty of Brown was again shown in his treatment of 
these wounded prisoners. He caused thirteen of them to be 
hanged just outside of his sick-room, on a staircase, where he 
could see them swing off. The others he gave up to the 
Indians to be tortured to death. 

In May, 1781, Colonel Henry Lee, who Avas cidled ^'' Light- 
Horse Harry,^^ and was the father of General Robert E. Lee, 
arrived near Augusta with a body of troops. He came for the 
pur])ose of making another effort to take Augusta from the 
British. He was joined by General Pickens, of South Caro- 
lina, and Colonel Elijah Clarke, with a body of Georgia troops. 

Clarke had found out that a large supply of Indian presents 
and firearms were placed in Fort Galphiii, at Silver Bluff, on 
Beech Island, twelve miles below Augusta. He told Pickens 
and Lee of this, and they undertook to reduce this stockade 
fort before Brown could find out and defeat their intention. 
The attack was nnidc with such spirit that the fort soon gave 



Augusta taken and Retaken. in 

npj with one hundred and twentj-six prisoners, besides arms, 
ammunition, blankets, and salt enough to supply the whole 
army. This fort had been named for George Galphin, an 
Indian trader, whose home had been upon the bluff. (See 
Note, Chapter XI Y.) 

Augusta was defended by Forts Grierson and Cornwallis, the 
former being on the site where the upper market stood, and 
the latter on the site of 8t. Paul's Church, with a large open 
plain between them. The British commanders. Brown and 
Grierson, had taken refuge in these forts. General Pickens 
formed his troops between the forts, and placed his batteries 
to i^lay upon both. Just before the attack Grierson aban- 
doned Fort Grierson, and tried to join Brown in Fort Corn- 
wallis. The Americans were prepared for this move, and 
opened a deadly fire on the retreating garrison. Very few 
escaped ; many were killed, and many captured. Colonel 
Grierson was taken prisoner, and shot by one of the Georgians 
on account of his cruelties to the people. 

The Americans surrounded Fort Cornwallis, and began their 
plans to reduce it. The ground was so level and open that 
the fort could not be carried by storm. Colonel Lee pro- 
posed to erect a wooden tower, to fill it with brick and dirt, 
to mount cannon on the top of it, and thus to command the 
inside of the fort. The tower was built behind an old house, 
but Brown discovered the work and made several bloody 
sallies from the fort in order to destroy it. The tower was 
finished, cannon were placed upon it, and fire was opened 
upon the fort. Brown saw that further resistance was use- 
less. He surrendered June 5, 1781, with all his arms and 
ammunition. The trooj^s marched out, and were carried to 
Savannah. Brown was protected from the enraged people by 
a ^special escort. Augusta was again in the hands of the 
Americans. Major James Jackson was in command, while 
Pickens and Lee led their soldiers back into South Carolina. 

To illustrate the heroism of the women at the time, the fol- 



AUGUSTA Taken and retaken 119 

lowing anecdote is told of Xancy Hart, who lived on the fron- 
tier. She was tall, strong, fiery tempered, cross-eyed, and 
cordially hated the Tories. A party of these gave her a call 
and ordered a hreakfast. Nancy soon had the smoking 
viands spread hefore them, and with apparent hospitality 
nrged them to eat. They stacked their arms in one corner of 
her cabin, and sat down to the meal with jesting and mirth. 
Quick as thought the dauntless woman sprang to the guns, 
jerked one up, cocked it, and with an oath swore she would 
shoot the first Tory that dared move. All were terror- 
stricken, for each thought from her cross-eyes that he was the 
one she was looking at. " Go," said she to one of her chil- 
dren, " and tell the Whigs that I have taken six base Tories/'' 
One of the men made a motion to advance upon her, and, 
true to her threat, she fired, and he fell dead upon the floor. 
Seizing another musket, she brought it to bear upon the 
others, in readiness to fire. By this time her husband and 
several Whigs had arrived, and, at Nancy's suggestion, who 
swore shooting was too good for them, the Tories were taken 
out and hanged. The place where her cabin stood is pointed 
out to-day in Hart County, a county named in her honor by 
the men of Georgia. 

[General Elijah Clarke was born in North Carohna about 1785. He 
came to Georgia in 1774 and settled in Wilkes County. When the war 
broke out Clarke took the field, and the only regiment raised in upper 
Georgia was commanded by him. His famous Wilkes riflemen inspired 
the Whigs with hope and struck terror to the Tories and Indians. When 
Georgia and South Carolina were abandoned to the British, and the 
forces of the United States were withdrawn, Clarke alone kept the field, 
and his name spread terror through the whole line of British posts. 
Clarke was a man of fine presence, and of striking, bold, and resolute 
force. The State of Georgia, by act of the legislature, gave him a plan- 
tation in acknowledgment of his services. General Clarke died in his 
home in Wilkes County, December 15, 1779.] 

[George Walton was born in Virginia in 1740, and received no other 
education save that he acquired by his own elf orts. He was apprenticed to 



120 HISTORY OF (iEORGIA. 

a carpenter, but such was liis zeal for knowledge that he studied at night 
by a light-wood fire, his master not allowing him a candle. He moved to 
Georgia and began to practise law. He was elected to Congress six 
times, and his name is signed to the Declaration of Independence. At 
the capture of Savannah he was taken prisoner, but was exchanged in 
1779. a few months before he was elected governor. After the war he 
became judge of the Superior Court, and died in Augusta in 1804.] 

[Richard Uowlcy was a lawyer by profession. He represented Liberty 
County in the legislature, and was elected governor in January, 1780. 
When the State was overrun by the British, a council of ofl&cers was held 
near Augusta, in which they determined to retreat to Xorth Carolina, 
and they narrowly escaped capture on the way. ]McCall says : " The 
value of paper money was at that time so depreciated that the governor 
dealt it out by the quire for a night's lodging for his party, and if the 
fare was anything extraordinary, the landlord received two quires."'] 

[Stephen Heard was born in Ireland, and with his father moved to 
Virginia during the period of the French war. Later on, when many 
families were moving from Virginia, Heard came to Georgia, and settled 
in Wilkes County. When the war broke out he joined Elijah Clarke and 
his riflemen, and served nobly at Kettle Creek and other battles. Dur- 
ing a portion of the time when Georgia was overrun by the British he 
was president of the Executive Council. After the war he was one of the 
most influential citizens of Wilkes County.] 



QUESTIONS. 

What of Sir James Wright and the Provincial Assembly? What of 
John Wereat? How did Georgia have two acting governors? Who was 
elected governor in 1780? What of Heard's Fort? Who occupied 
Augusta in May? Whatof Brown ? Describe Clarke's attack on Augusta. 
How did Brown show his cruelty? What of Col. Henry Lee? What 
happened at Fort Galphin? Describe the capture of Augusta. Tell the 
story of Nancy Hart. 

TOPICS. 

Tell about — 

1. The British in Georgia. 4. Elijah Clark's attack. 

2. The State government. 5. Capture of Fort Cornwallis. 

3. Brown in Augusta. 6. Story of Nancy Hart. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

GEORGIA TS RECOGNIZED A8 FREE AND INDEPENDENT. 

" The duty we have done in Georgia was more difficult than that imposed upon the 
children of Israel. They had only to make bricks without straw, but we liave had pro- 
vision, forage, and almost every other apparatus of war to procure without money ; boats, 
bridges, etc., to build without materials except those taken from tlie stump ; and what 
was more diflacult than all, to make Whigs out of Tories."'— Letter of General Wayne. 



The capture of Augusta restored 
all the northern counties to the 
Americans^ and the Continental 
army in the State was strong enough 
to j^rotect them from the advances 
of the British. The citizens who 
had been driven from their homes 
during the past two years now re- 
turned, and in August, 1781, the 
General Assembly met at Augusta 
and elected Dr. Kathan Brown son 
governor. 

The British still held the city of 
Savannah, Avhere Governor AVright 
was claiming to act as governor, but Ebenezer, on the Savan- 
nah River, and the posts on the Great Ogeechee Ferry and at 
Sunbury were the only outposts held by them. The Conti- 
nental troops in Georgia were commanded by General Twiggs 
and Major James Jackson. Major Jackson attempted to take 
the Ogeechee post, but was forced to retreat. However, he 
compelled the British to abandon Ebenezer and retire to 
Avithin a few miles of Savannah. 

On the 19tli of October, 1T81, General Cornwallis, coni- 




GENEBAL ANTHONY WAYNE. 



122 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

mander of the British forces at Yorktowu, Va., surrendered 
his entire army to General Washington. The news of this 
victory filled the patriots with joy, and the Tories lost heart. 
It was evident to every one that the States would win their 
independence. The British only occupied a few jilaces in 
America^, and the English people were not willing to equip 
new troops to continue the war. 

In January, 1782, the General Assembly met at Augusta 
and elected John Martin governor. Although the people 
were rejoicing in the certainty of victory, much distress pre- 
vailed in Georgia. Food was scarce and sickness was general. 
Pi-ices for all the necessaries of life were very high. Salt sold 
at two dollars a quart, and a pair of shoes for twenty-five or 
thirty dollars. As the farmers had turned soldiers, or had 
been driven from their homes, few crops had been raised, and 
a famine threatened the whole country. 

The soldiers who were fighting the battle of liberty were 
only half-clothed and many of them barefooted. One hun- 
dred and fifty Virginia troops had marched three hundred 
miles barefoot over mountains and hills to join the Georgia 
army. When they arrived they Avere in great distress for 
shoes, and other clothing, but the people of Georgia were 
powerless to help them. It was difficult to furnish them even 
with food. 

In January, 178'^, General Anthony \\'ayne, known in his- 
tory as "Mad Anthony," was sent to Georgia by the Conti- 
nental Congress to take command of the Continental troops. 
lie brought with him a body of dragoons and a detachment of 
artillery, and was joined soon after his arrival by three hun- 
dred mounted men from South Carolina. The presence of 
General Wavne's army greatly strengthened the State. Gov- 
ernor Martin at once issued proclamations, inviting all citi- 
zens who had submitted to the British rule to unite them- 
selves with the State of Georgia, and calling upon the soldiers 
to desert the kinsf. Manv former citizens who had been com- 



GEORGIA FREE AND INDEPENDENT, 1^3 

pelled to accept the protection of the British government, and 
some who had joined the British army, took advantage of this 
offer and came into General Wayne's camji. 

The British were very mnch alarmed when they heard of 
G-eneral Wayne's arrival, and prepared to defend Savannah. 
The garrison there amounted to only a little over a thousand 
men, and these were scantily supplied with food and arms. 
The American army hemmed them in on all sides, and cut off 
supplies from every direction except by sea. The notorious 
Colonel Brown, who had collected a body of Indians near 
Ogeechee Ferry, was pursued by General AVayne. Wayne 
pushed through a thick swamp, reached the Indian camp in 
the dead of niglit, and drove Brown and his party into the 
woods. All the arms and horses of the party were captured, 
together with thirty 2:>risoners. This was the last battle of the 
Revolution in Georgia. 

In Ma3^ 1782, orders came from the king to Governor 
Wright to surrender Savannah and to return to England. 
Governor Wright opened correspondence with General AVayne, 
and all the details were arranged between them. The king 
had sent ships to take away the British soldiers and the 
Tories who had taken refuge in Savannah. By the 21st of 
July everything was ready for the departure of the British, 
and the American army was drawn up in dress parade to 
occupy the city. Major James Jackson had been selected by 
General Wayne to receive the city. This honor was conferred 
on him because of his bravery, and the prominent part he had 
taken in driving the British from Georgia. Governor Wright 
formally delivered the keys of Savannah to Major Jackson, 
and he marched into the city at the head of his troops. The 
first capital of Georgia, which had been held by the British 
for three and a half years, was again in the hands of the 
State. 

Governor Martin and the other State officers came at once 
to Savannah. The legislature was called together and much 



124 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

important business was transacted. The home of one of the 
royalists, which had been confiscated, was presented to Major 
James Jackson in recognition of his distinguished services. 
Two phmtations Avere bought by the legishiture, and one of 
these was presented to General Greene and the other to Gen- 
eral Wayne, both of whom became citizens of Georgia. 

The long war was over. Peace and liberty had come. A 
preliminary treaty of peace was signed at Versailles on the 
30tli of November, 1782, in Avhich England recognized the 
independence of Georgia and the other States in America, and 
settled their boundaries. All the other states in Europe had 
already recognized the independence of the American States. 

The final treaty of j^eace was not signed until Se]:)tember 3, 
1783. This treaty made the Mississi2:)pi Kiver the western 
boundary of Georgia, and the thirty-first parallel of latitude 
the southern boundary between the Mississippi Elver and the 
Chattahoochee. The same day England sis^ned a treaty of 
peace with France and one with Spain, the two European states 
that had come to our assistance in our struggle for indepen- 
dence. All three treaties took effect at the same time. In the 
treaty with Spain, England ceded back to that nation East 
and AVest Florida. The northern boundary line of West 
Florida had originally been the thirty-first parallel of latitude ; 
but a few years before the Eevolution, the province had been 
extended northward to the mouth of the Yazoo River, and a 
line extending from that point east to the Ghattahoochee had 
been made the northern boundary. The people of Georgia 
and the other States knew nothing of this change. But the 
Spanish troops under General Galvez, (xovernor of Louisiana, 
had captured the Floridas during the war and occupied the 
country along the Mississi2)i)i as far as the present site of 
Vicksburg, where they had a fort. If the student will draw 
this line on the map it will be seen that the territory between 
the mouth of the Yazoo River and the thirty-first parallel of 
hititude was in this way ceded to the United States as a part 



QUESTIONS. 125 

of the State of Georgia, and also to Spain. Both Georgia 
and Spain claimed this territory, and a few years later a great 
deal of trouble grew out of the conflicting claims. The people 
of Georgia never admitted that the change of the northern 
boundary line of West Florida had been legally made. 

[Anthony Wayne was born in Pennsylvania in 1746. He was a farmer 
and land surveyor. In 1775 he entered the Continental army as colonel, 
and distinguished himself throughout the Revolutionary War. After 
the war he became a citizen of Georgia, and lived upon the plantation 
which the legislature presented to him. He was a delegate from his 
county to the State Convention in 1787 to frame a constitution. He was 
one of the representatives from Georgia in the Second Congress of the 
United States, serving from October, 1791, to March, 1792. Major 
James Jackson contested his seat, and it was declared vacant. A new 
election was ordered, but he refused to be a candidate, and John Milledge 
was elected. Shortly after, he reentered the military service of the 
United States, being commissioned Major-General and Commander-in- 
Chief of the armies sent against the Indians in the Northwest Territory. 
He died in December, 1796, and was buried in his native county of 
Chester, Pennsylvania.] 

[Nathan Brownson was a physician of Liberty County. He was an 
early supporter of the rights of his country, and was connected with the 
Georgia Brigade as surgeon. He was quiet and dignified, and full of 
good sense. He died on his farm in Liberty County, 1796.] 

[John Martin was an active defender of the rights and liberties of his 
country. He was a member of the first Provincial Congress, fie 
entered the army as a captain, and afterwards rose to the rank of lieu- 
tenant-colonel. He represented Chatham County in the legislature. It 
was during his term of office that provisions were very scarce in Georgia. 
The legislature had to purchase supplies for the governor and council.] 



QUESTIONS. 

What was the result of the capture of Augusta ? When and where 
did the General Assembly meet ? Who was elected governor ? What 
places were still held by the British ? Who was acting as governor at 
Savannah ? What event, important to the whole country, occurred in 



126 History of Georgia. 

October ? What was the general effect of this surrender ? "Who was 
elected governor in 1782 ? What was the condition of affairs in Georgia 
at this time V Why were food and clothing so scarce ? What general 
was now placed in command oC the Continental troops in Geoi-gia ? 
What forces did he bring with liim? Wliat proclamations did Governor 
.^lartin issue ? What of the capture of Colonel Brown ? What orders 
came from the king ? Describe the surrender of Savannah to the 
patriots. When was the treaty of peace signed? Whnt disputes about 
boundaries afterwards arose out of this treaty? What officers were 
rewarded by the legislature for their services ? 

TOPICS. 

1. The war in Georgia. 4. General Wayne's advance. 

2. British posts. o. Surrender of Savannah. 

3. Want and sufferhig. 0. Treaty of peace. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



GEORGIA IX THE C0:N^FEDERATI0X, 1783-1^ 




" It affords me the most agreeable sensations to contemplate tlie happy change in the 
affairs of this country ; and it is among the first of my wishes that you may long, long 
enjoy the blessings of freedom and independence."— Gen. Nathanael Greene. 

The British had all left Georgia. 
The ill effects of the war were still 
felt, but the people cheerfully went 
to work to build up the State they 
had established and defended. 

In 1783, Lyman Hall was elected 
governor. One of the first things 
to eno'ao'e the attention of the legis- 
latare was the confiscation — that 
is, taking possession — of the lands, 
NATHANAEL GREENE. houscs, stock, uegrocs, and other 

property belonging to those persons 
who had given help to Enghmd during the war. Their property 
was sold for the benefit of the State. The property of Sir 
James Wright, valued at $160,000, was confiscated. This was 
done because the king had confiscated all the proj^erty of the 
patriots in Georgia, while his troops held the State. The 
great Land Act of 1783 was passed by this legislature. 

Now that the State was at peace within and without its 
borders, the attention of the people was turned to the sub- 
ject of education. The Constitution of 1777 declared that 
" Schools shall be erected in each county and supported at the 
general expense." In July, 1783, the legislature established 
Richmond Academy at Augusta, and endowed it with a tract 



128 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



of land. This academy was the first and is now the oldest 
chartered school in Georgia, and the present building stands 
upon the orginal survey of two thousand acres set apart as its 
endowment. The legislature also authorized the establish- 
ment of free schools in other counties. Chatham Academy 
was established five years later. 

In November, 1783, commissioners for the State met the 




RICHMONU ACADEMY, AUGUSTA, GA. CHARTEUED 17S1 



chiefs of the Creeks at Augusta and made a treaty with them 
by which the State received another cession of land to the 
north and west of Wilkes County. 

In 1784, John Houstoun was elected governor. The new 
territory was at once laid out by the legislature into the coun- 
ties of Franklin and Washington. To reward the brave patri- 
ots of the Eevolution who had risked everything and lost much 
for their country, a tract of land was given to each one for a 
home, to be located in these new counties. The Land Court 



Land Acts. 129 

was opened in Augusta^ and warrants were given to over four 
thousand persons, all of whom had served the State in some 
way during the war. A warrant generally contained a grant 
of 'Hvvo hundred and fifty acres of good land, which was to 
be exempt from taxation for ten years." These warrants 
were called Head-riglit Land Warrants. In addition to these, 
each head of a family had the right to locate a tract of land 
by paying a small fee. Grants were made to soldiers from 
other States who had served Georgia during the war. In this 
way many Virginians came to the State and settled on Broad 
River, where they were known for many years as the Virginia 
colony. They furnished some of the most prominent men of 
the State, and many of their descendants are now living in 
Wilkes, Columbia, Elbert, Lincoln, and other counties. 

Special grants of land were made to other persons on account 
of their services to Georgia. Twenty thousand acres were 
granted to Count D'Estaing for his bravery at Savannah and 
his devotion to the cause of liberty. This gift greatly affected 
the noble count, who was then ill from a dangerous wound. 
He wrote a letter of grateful acceptance, in which he said: 
" The mark of its satisfaction which the State of Georgia 
was pleased to give me, after I had been wounded, was 
the most healing balm that could have been applied to my 
pains." 

Besides distributing bounties to the soldiers, the Act of 1784 
had still another great purpose. It contained provisions for 
granting forty thousand acres of land as ''an endowment of a 
college or seminary of learning." This land Avas to be laid 
out of the new counties of Franklin and Washington and was 
the original endowment of the university. The purpose Avas 
to sell this land and use the money to build and equip the uni- 
versity which the legislature first intended to locate at the 
State capital. We shall learn more about this later on. 

Savannah as the seat of State government was unsatisfactory 
to the people. In those days, when travelling was done by 
9 



130 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



stage or on horseback and generally over bad roads, the set- 
tlers in the back country or on the newly ceded lands found it 
difficult to go so far. In 1783 the Council resolved that the 
executive department, consisting of the governor and his 
Council, should meet in Augusta for three months, during 
June, July, and August. The legislature met there at the 
same time. For the next two years the legislature met in 
Savannah, but it adjourned in 1785 to meet in Augusta in 




CHATHAM ACADEMY, SAVANNAH, GA. CHARTERED, 1788. 



1786. The legislature of 1786, at Augusta, resolved to find 
another location for the State capital, and appointed commis- 
sioners to choose a suitable site, witliin '' twenty miles of Gal- 
phin's old town,'' on the Savannah River, and to name the 
place Louisville. The government lionse and lot in Savannah 
were to be sold, and the money applied to purchasing the land 
and erecting tlie public buildings in Louisville. Until the 



Treaty of Beaufort, 131 

new capital was ready for occupation, it was decided that the 
23lace of meeting of the legislature, the residence of the gov- 
ernor and the other officers of the State House, should be at 
Augusta. In this way Augusta became the seat of govern- 
ment in 1786, and continued so for ten years. 

There was a dispute of long standing between Georgia and 
South Carolina regarding boundary lines. South Carolina 
claimed that the northern line of Georgia should be run from 
the mouth of the Tugaloo River, since "the River Savannah 
loses its name at the mouth of the Tugaloo." Georgia 
claimed that the northern line should be run from the head- 
waters of the Keowee River. 

South Carolina also claimed all the lands lying west of a 
line drawn from the headwaters of the St. Mary's River to the 
headwaters of the Altamaha River. South Carolina appealed 
to the Continental Congress in 1785, and a court was selected 
to hear both sides. Georgia was notified to appear and answer 
the comjjlaint of South Carolina. Before this court could 
meet, however, the two States agreed to settle the dispute 
between tliemselves in a friendly way, and appointed commis- 
sioners, who met at Beaufort, in South Carolina, in 1789 and 
made a treaty known as the Treaty of Beaufort. The com- 
missioners agreed that South Carolina had no just claims to 
any lands west of the Savannah River. This disposed of the 
claim of South Carolina for lands in the southern part of the 
State. They also agreed that the Tugaloo and not the 
Keowee was the main stream of the Savannah River, and 
that the northern line of Georgia was to be run due west from 
the most northerly branch of the Tugaloo River. 

When the line was run it was found that a strip of territory 
twelve miles wide and extending to the Mississippi River was 
the property of South Carolina. South Carolina ceded this to 
the United States, by whom it was held until 1802. 

A sad incident of the year 1786 was the death of Gen. Na- 
thanael Greene. At the close of the war he had come to 



132 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Georgia to live, at a beautiful home fourteen miles above 
Savannah, called '•Mulberry Grove, " an estate granted him 
by the legislature. While at work on his farm he was over- 
come by the heat of the sun, and died in a few days. His 
body was brought down the river on a barge and met by a 
large procession of peoj^le. He was buried with military hon- 
ors and mourned for by the whole nation. A few months 
before his death the legislature had ordered the county of 
Washington to be divided and a new county organized, named 
Greene, and a town laid out named Green esboro.ugh. 

In 1785 Samuel Elbert had been elected governor. He was 
succeeded in 1786 by Edward Telfair. In 1787 George Mat- 
thews was elected to this office. During his term Georgia 
took a very important step, which changed its relations to the 
other States. Of this we shall study in the next chapter. 

[Lyman Hall was l)orii in C'oinieeticut, in 17'31, and was a graduate 
of Yale College. He studied medicine, moved to South Carolina, and 
thence to St. John's Parish, or the County of Liberty, in Georgia. He 
represented Georgia in the Continental Congress, and was a signer of the 
Declaration of Independence. He moved to Burke County, where he died 
ill the sixty-sovcntli year of his age.] 

[Saiiiuel Elbert was born in South Carolina in 1740. He was left an 
orphan at an early age, and came to Savannah looking for work. He 
was a member of the Council of Safety, and when the war broke out took 
the field as an officer of high rank and was engaged in a numlier of bat- 
tles in Georgia and elsewhere, and was made major-general by the legis- 
lature. He died in Savannah in 1788.] 

[Edward 'JV'lf;tir was l)()rii in Scotland in 1735. When twenty-three 
years old he came to Virginia as an agent of a mercantile house. He 
afterwards moved to North Carolina, and thence to Georgia, where he. 
engaged in business in Savannah. He was a member of the brave band 
who, led by Joseph Habersham, broke open the powder magazine in 
Savannah. He was a member of the Continental Congress until 1788. 
He died in Savannah, September. 1807.] 

[(Jeorgc Matthews was born in Virginia. At the beginning of the 
Revolution he joined the army of Washington. In a skirmish he was 



Questions and Topics. 133 

taken prisoner, and confined on board a prison-ship in the harbor of New 
York. After his exchange he joined the army of General Greene. In 
1785 he purchased a tract of land called the Goose Pond, on Broad River, 
in Georgia. He died in Augusta, in 1812, and was buried in St, Paul's 
churchyard.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What engaged the attention of the legislature of 1783 ? What did 
the Constitution of 1777 declare regarding schools ? What of Richmond 
Academy ? Chatham Academy ? What cession was made in 1783 ? 
What two new counties were formed ? What about rewarding the 
patriots ? What court was opened ? What did each warrant generally 
grant ? What about the grant to D'Estaing ? What was another pur- 
pose of the Land Act ? What complaint was made regarding the loca- 
tion of the capital ? What was decided on in 1786 ? How long did the 
legislature meet in Augusta ? What dispute had arisen with South 
Carolina ? Describe the Treaty of Beaufort. What of the twelve-mile 
strip ? Relate the incident of the death of General Greene. Name the 
governors from 1783 to 1787. 

TOPICS. 

1. Confiscation. 5. Changing the capital. 

2. Education. 6. Treaty of Beaufort. 

3. Rewarding the patriots. 7. Death of General Greene. 

4. Endowing a university. 



EPOCH V. 

Georgia in tine Federal Union, 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

GEORGIA ENTERS THE UXIOX OF STATES. 

" Georgia was the fourth State to ratify this great instrument which gave shape and 
permanence to a government for which the Americans had been strii^ling against 
oppression for twenty-five years.'''— Stevens^ History of Georgia. 

AVhex Georgia and tlie twelve other States first called them- 
selves the United States of America, in 1776, they had niiited 
only in the Declaration of Independence and in fighting for 
liberty. The first written agreement which bonnd them 
together was the Articles of Confederation. These Articles 
were agreed npon in 1778, and at once ratified by Georgia; 
but they did not take effect nntil the last State signed them in 
1781, when the war was nearly over. The United States as a 
Confederation had no President, no conrts, and no congress 
like onrs of to-day. There was only a congress nsnally known 
as the Continental Congress, to which each State sent dele- 
gates, bnt this body had no powers of government over the 
States. 

After peace Avas made with England it soon became evident 
that the Articles of Confederation were not eqnal to the 
needs of the conntry. George AVashington said: ''We are 
thirteen independent sovereignties, eternally counteracting 
eacli other." A closer union of these separate States was 
needed. For this purpose a general convention of delegates 



Georgia Enteb.^ the Union. 



135 




/- 



ABKAM BALDWIN. 



from each State met in Philadelphia, and in September, 1787, 
agreed upon a Constitution of the United States which was to 
be submitted to each State for its adoption or rejection. This 
Constitution proposed to unite the thirteen States into one 
federal republic and to establish a government for the Union. 
A great English statesman, William E. 
Gladstone, has said of it: '' The Ameri- 
can Constitution is the most wonderful 
work ever struck off at a given time by 
the brain and purpose of man." The 
Constitution was signed by Abram Bald- 
win and AVilliam Few, from Georgia. 

It was now necessary for each State 
to decide for itself whetber it would 
accept this Constitution of the United 
States and thus enter the Union, or 
reject it and stay out of the Union. 
For this purpose the legislature of Creorgia called a convention 
to meet in Augusta to consider the Constitution, '' and to adopt 
or reject any part or the whole 
thereof." 

The leading men of the State 
w^ere elected as delegates to this con- 
vention. John Wereat was chosen 
President. After due considera- 
tion the Constitution was adopted 
without any change, January 2. 
1788. and Georgia thus agreed to 
enter the Union of the States. 
Georgia was the fourth State to 
ratify the Constitution. When 
the last name was signed to the 
resolution of agreement, a body of soldiers, stationed near the 
house where the convention was in session, llred a salute of 
thirteen guns in honor of the event. 




WILLIAM FEW. 



136 History of Georgia. 

The first election under the Constitntion was held in Jan- 
uary, 1789. and the 4th of March following was fixed as the 
date when the old confederation should be dissolved and the 
new government of the United States be organized. The 
first Congress was to meet in ^'ew York city, then the seat of 
government of the United States, but when the 4tli of ]\[arch 
came only a few members Avere present, and it was late in 
April before a majority of the newly elected senators and rep- 
resentatives from the different States arrived. James Gunn 
and William Few were the first two United States senators 
from Georgia, and Abram Baldwin, James Jackson, and 
George Matthews were the Representatives from Georgia in 
this first Congress. On the 30th of April, George Washington 
was inaugurated first President of the United States. During 
his second administration, Jose})h Habersham, of Georgia, was 
appointed postmaster-general of the United States. 

The adoption of the Constitution of the United States 
made it necessary to revise the Constitution of Georgia. A 
conveiition for that purpose met in Augusta in Xovember, 
1788, and after twenty days of deliberation a new State Con- 
stitution was agreed upon. This new Constitution was printed 
and distributed over the State, and made subject to another 
convention which met in Augusta in January, 1789. This 
convention met and proposed certain changes, and called a 
third convention to meet the following May. This last con- 
vention adopted the Constitution for the State, known as the 
Constitution of 1789. It was agreed to by the governor, and 
a salute of eleven guns was fired in honor of the eleven States 
which had thus far ratified the Constitution of the United States. 

The Constitution of 1789 was an improvement on the Con- 
stitution of 1777, and showed that the people had made prog- 
ress in the matter of self-government. The Executive Coun- 
cil was abolished and a Senate was established, with powers 
similar to those of the Senate of to-day. The governor was 
to serve two vears instead of one. 



Washington Visits Georgia. 137 

In 1788 George Handley was elected governor^ and served 
while the Constitution was undergoing revision. He was suc- 
ceeded in January, 1789, by George Walton. The new Con- 
stitution went into effect in October, 1789. Edward Telfair 
was elected the first governor under the new Constitution. 

Scarcely had the new governor been inaugurated, when the 
State was called on to join the nation in a day of thanksgiving 
and prayer. November 26, 1789, the people of Georgia ob- 
served their first Thanlvsgiving day, with grateful hearts to the 
Almighty for many and signal favors, " especially by affording 
them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of govern- 
ment for their safety and happiness." 

December, 1790, the State was divided into three Congres- 
sional districts. The counties of Camden, Glynn, Liberty, 
Chatham, and Effingham composed the lower district; Burke, 
Kichmond and Washington, the middle district ; AVilkes, 
Franklin, and Greene, the upper district. James Jackson 
was elected to represent the lower district; Abram Baldwin, the 
middle district; George Matthews, the uj)per district. 

George Washington, the first President of the United States, 
made a visit to Georgia in May, 1791. AVhen he reached 
Savannah he was met by a large gathering of people from all 
over the State. An escort of horse travelled witli him through 
the country up to Augusta, where the governor and the peo- 
ple Avarmly welcomed him. At Augusta he visited the Rich- 
mond Academy and listened to an exhibition of declamation 
by the students. He Avas so pleased with the speakers and 
the performance of the young orators that he secured a list of 
their names, and on his return home sent each of them a book. 
Washington remained in Georgia one week, and on the day of 
his leaving was escorted to the bridge over the Savannah River 
by the governor and his officers. 

[The names of the delegates who represented Georgia at different times 
in the Continental Congress, dnring the Confederation, are as follows : 
Abram Baldwin, Nathan Brownson, Archibald Bulloch, Joseph Clay, 



138 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

William Few, William Gibbons, Button Gwinnett, John Habersham, 
Lyman Hall. John Houstoun, William Houstonn. Richard Howley, Noble 
Wimberly Jones, Edward Langworthy, William Pierce, Edward Telfair, 
George Walton, Joseph Wood, John J. Zubly.] 

[George Handley was born in England, in 1752, and came to Savannah 
at the beginning of the Revolution. He was engaged in the main battles 
of Georgia and South Carolina. At the close of the war he moved to 
Augusta. He held various other offices until his death in 1793.] 

[William Few was l)orn in Maryland in 1748. He was descended 
from William Ffew, who came to this country with William Penn. 
After studying law, he began practice in Augusta. He was in the Con- 
tinental Congress, and in the convention that framed the Federal Consti- 
tution. He died in New York in 1828.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What was now the condition of the thirteen American colonies ? What 
of the Articles of Confederation ? What did George Washington say? 
What was needed ? When, where, and by whom was the Constitution 
of the United States agreed upon ? What has Gladstone said of it ? 
Who signed on behalf of Georgia ? Describe the way Georgia entered 
the Union ? When did the government of the United States begin ? 
Who were the Senators from Georgia ? The Representatives? Wlio was 
postmaster-general from Georgia? What can you say of the Constitution 
of 1789 ? Who was the first Governor under this Constitution ? Men- 
tion other Governors at this time. Describe the first Thanksgiving day. 
What al)out the Congressional districts? Describe the visit of Washing- 
ton to Georgia. 

TOPICS. 

1. Constitution of the United States. 3. The Constitution of 1789. 

2. How adopted by Georgia. 4. Other events of 1789-1791. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

ELI WHITNEY AXD THE COTTON GIN. 

"What Peter the Great did to make Russia dominant, Eli Whitney's invention of the 
Cotton Gin has more tlian equalled in its relation to the power and progress of the United 

States."— Macaxtlay. 

Cotton was not known to the people of Georgia, except as 
a garden plant, nntil after the Revolntionary war, at which 
time it w^as said that there was a plantation of thirty acres of 
ffreen seed cotton nnder culture near Savannah. In 1784 
eight bags of cotton were shipped to England, and seized 
on the ground that so much cotton could not be produced in 
the United States. In 1786 sea-island cotton was first raised 
on the coast of Georgia, and two years later its exportation was 
commenced by Alexander Bissell, of St. Simon's Island. The 
seeds were obtained from the Bahamas. It was not difficult to 
separate the lint from the seed of the sea-island cotton, but 
this valuable staple grows only on the islands and along the 
coasts. 

The cotton which grows everywhere else in Georgia is called 
the short-staple cotton, and the lint adheres very firmly to the 
seed. There was a machine for cleaning the long-staple cotton, 
but the upland cotton had to be picked from the seed by 
hand. A negro could not clean more than a pound of upland 
cotton in one day. A man and his family could hardly pick 
out more than eight or ten pounds. If a large crop was planted 
there were not hands enough to separate the seed from the lint. 

This kept the farmers from planting upland cotton. It was 
not a profitable crop. They raised corn, wheat, oats, live stock, 
and other things. In the year 1 791 only three hundred and 



140 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



lunety-nine bales of cotton were exported from all the United 
states. 

About this time a young man named Eli Whitney was living 
in Georgia at the home of Mrs. Xathanael Greene^, fourteen 
miles above Savannah. He was born in Massachusetts, and 
having just graduated at Yale College, had come South toward 
the end of 1792 to teach school and practise law. ^frs. Greene 
had invited him to make her house his home. While there he 
had made several things that gave her confidence in his power 
of invention. One day some visitors at the house of Mrs. 
Greene were regretting that it was such a hard matter to clean 
the upland cotton, and said that it was a pity that there was 
not a machine for this purpose. Mrs. Greene said, ''Ask 
Mr. W^hitney to make a machine for you. He can make any- 
thing." Some raw cotton and cotton seed were given to 
Whitney, wlio had never seen any up to that time. He at once 

set to work to see 
what he could do. 

He labored for 
several months un- 
d e r m u ch d i ffi- 
culty. He had to 
make his own wire 
and tools. Mrs. 
Greene and another 
friend were the 
only persons per- 
mitted to see the 
machine, but others 
heard of it, and were so anxious to know how it would work 
that before it was quite finished the shop was broken open and 
his model machine carried off. The result of this was that 
Whitney's idea became known, and before he could make 
another machine and get it patented there were others in 
operation based u])on his invention. 




WHITNEY COTTON GIN. 



Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin. 141 

Whitney made another machine which was a complete suc- 
cess. The accompanying cut is a picture of the original cotton 
gin which he invented and patented. He built a factory to 
make his machines, near Augusta, and about two miles south 
of the city the dam is still to be seen which held the water to 
run his works. These machines were at first called cotton 
engines, but this name was soon contracted into "cotton 
gins." 

A few years later he went to Connecticut and began to man- 
ufacture his cotton gins on a large scale. So valuable was the 
gin that the legislature of South Carolina granted him 150,000 
for the use of his invention. North Carolina also gave him 
a royalty on the use of his gins for five years. Farmers now 
began to plant cotton in the uplands. By using the cotton 
gin a 23lanter could clean for market a thousand pounds of 
cotton a day instead of five or six as before by hand. This 
made a rapid increase in tlie amount of cotton raised. Eight 
years after this invention seven thousand bales of cotton were 
exported from Georgia alone, and the number has increased 
steadily ever since. 

AVhitney was a great benefactor to the cotton States. His 
invention made the raising of cotton the great industry of the 
people of the South and the chief source of their wealth. 
Lands that had been regarded of little value were now sought 
for and planted in cotton. N^ew towns grew up all over the 
State. 

Another event of the same year excited as much interest at 
the time as the invention of the cotton gin. A citizen of 
South Carolina named Chisholm brought suit against the State 
of Georgia in the Supreme Court of the United States. The 
officers of Georgia refused to recognize the summons or to 
permit lawyers to appear for the State. They held that each 
State was a sovereign. Now a sovereign, being supreme, can- 
not be sued by a citizen. Therefore, they declared, the clause 
of the Constitution which authorized the suit Avas void from 



142 HISTORY OP GF.ORGIA. 

the very Jiature of tilings. The court decided in favor of 
Chishohn, but Governor Telfair threatened to imprison an}^ 
marshal who attem})ted to execute the decree. The other 
States all agreed that each State was a sovereign, but there 
was a difference of opinion as to the authority of the court 
under the Constitution. To settle this question forever, the 
eleventh amendment to the Constitution was proposed and 
adopted. This amendment recognized the sovereignty of each 
State by declaring distinctly that the Constitution should not 
be construed to give citizens power to sue a State. Its adop- 
tion was due to Georgia's firm stand in the historic case 
" Chisholm versus the State of Georgia.'' The Chisholm suit 
was then abandoned. 

[The Mexicans and Peruvians appear to have understood tlie manu- 
facture of cotton cloth long before Columbus discovered America. 
Columbus found the plant growing wild in the West Indies, and Cortes 
gathered it in abundance to quilt the jackets of his soldiers as a protec- 
tion against the arms and darts of the ^lexicans. In the United States 
cotton seeds were first planted as an experiment in 1021. In liie prov- 
ince of Carolina the growth of the cotton })lant is noticed in IGtiG.J 

QUESTIONS. 

What about the planting of cotton up to this time? What of short- 
staple cotton? What of sea-island cotton? Flow was lint separated 
from the seed? How much cotton was exported from the United States 
ill r7!)l? What of Eli Whitney? Tell the story of the invention of the 
cotton gin. What was the effect of the invention? How was Eli Whit- 
ney a benefactor to the cotton States? 

TOPICS. 

Lef the pupil fell — 

1. Why cotton planting was un- 4. The difficulty of his labors, 

profitable. 5. The success of liis machine. 

2. Who Eli Whitney was. G. Tlie eleventh amendment to 
'6. How Whitney hajipened to in- the Constitution. 

vent the gin. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



YAZOO FRAUD. 



"The last legislature, not confining itself to the powers with which that body was 
conytitiitionally invested, did usurp a power to pass the obnoxious act, contrary to 
constitutional authority and repugnant to the democratical form of government of the 
State.''''— Hescmding Act. 

In" Xovember, 1793, George 
Matthews was cliosen a sec- 
ond time governor of Georgia. 
While he was governor an event 
occnrred known as the '' Yazoo 
Fraud," which for many yeai's was 
the cause of great excitement and 
bitterness. 

The territory of the State of 
Georgia at this time embraced 
nearly all the present States 
of Alabama and Mississippi. 
Georgia's claim to that part of 
this territory called British West Florida, was disputed by 
Spain, and also by the general government. We need not 
consider these disputes here. It is enough to know that 
Georgia did possess large tracts of land west of the Chatta- 
hoochee River. 

In 1789, four stock companies were formed for the pur- 
pose of purchasing from the legislature of Georgia a 23art of 
this western land. They were called Yazoo companies, from 
the Yazoo River, which ran through the territory proposed to 
be purchased. 




JAKED IRWIN. 



144 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

The legislature with undue haste passed an act selling to 
these companies large tracts of land for a very small price. 
The companies, however, did not comply with all the provi- 
sions t)f the law, and the sale was never completed. Thus 
the first attempt to buy the western lands was a failure. 

In 1794 new companies were formed and the legislature was 
again approached on the subject. These new companies pro- 
])osed to buy a much larger tract of hind. 

Governor ^Matthews Avas not in favor of selling the lands. 
A committee of agents from the com2:)anies called to see him 
and argued the case with him. Still he opposed the sale, and 
wlien the bill was passed, promptly vetoed it. 

This checked the success of the companies for a while, but 
tlie objections of the governor were at length overcome, and 
he stated his willingness to sign the bill if certain changes 
were made. Accordingly, a new bill was introduced, under a 
new title, but in reality for the same purpose. The bill was 
passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, and 
became the law of the land. 

The four companies under this grant were " The Georgia 
Compan3%'' " The Georgia-Mississippi Company," " The 
Tennessee Company," and " The Upper Mississippi Com- 
pany." Thirty-five million acres were sold for a half million 
of dollars, which was about one and a half cents an acre. 
Thus we see that the legislature sold a tract of land nearly 
as large as the present State of Georgia for a very paltry sum 
of money. This was the famous Yazoo Act, and was passed 
in Augusta in January, 1795. The accompanying map, which 
is a copy of an old map made at the time, shows the location 
of the grants. 

The people of the State, who all along had opposed the sale 
of these western lands, were very indignant that the legisla- 
ture had sold so much land at so small a price. The legisla- 
ture and the governor were accused of having been bribed to 
pass the act, and the people demanded its repeal. It was 



Yazoo Fraud. 



145 



said that the governor's secretary was violently opposed to the 
passage of this act, and dipped the pens in oil, so that when 
Governor Matthews went to sign the act tlie pens would make 




MAP OF THE GRANTS 

OF THE 

^ ))) GEORGIA WESTERN TERRITORY 

Reproduced from Dr. Morse's American Qazetteer, 1797. 



no mark. It took only a few moments, however, to get other 
quills and make new pens for that purpose. 

One of the senators from Georgia at this time was the 
young and brave James Jackson. He had been elected in 
1793 to succeed William Few. When he heard of the attempt 
10 



146 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



to procure the Yazoo lands he strongly opposed it. Jackson had 
been urged to take shares in one of these companies, and was 
told that '• he might have any number of acres he pleased, to 
half a million, without paying a cent, provided he would put 
his name to the application." But he refused, and told the 
men th^t '* he, not they, had fought for Georgia and the right 
to that territory; that he fought for the people, and it Avas 
their right, and the right of future generations; and if they 
did succeed he should hold the sale void, and would resign his 
seat in the Seriate, come home and head his fellow-citizens, 
and either lose his life or have the act annulled." Now that 
the sale had been made, he resigned his seat as senator and 
returned to Georgia to defeat what he called '* a conspiracy of 
the darkest character and of deliberate villany. " lie was 
elected to the legislature of 179G to represent Ghatham 
Gouuty. 

In the meantime a Gonstitutional Gonvention had met at 
Louisville in Jefferson Gounty in 
May, 1T95. This convention was 
2:)resided over by Noble AVimberley 
Jones. The State House and public 
offices, which had been in process of 
erection for several years, were now 
comjjleted, and the seat of govern- 
ment was permanently located at 
Louisville. The governor and the 
State House officers moved from 
Augusta, their temporary home, and 
the meetings of the legislature were 
held from this time in the new capi- 
The time of meeting of the legislature was 
changed from the first Monday in November to the second 
Tuesday in January of each year. 

In January, 179G, the legislature assembled in Louisville 
amidst <jreat excitement. Governor ^latthews sent them a 




NOBLE W. JONES. 



tol building. 



Yazoo Fraud. 



147 



message on the situation. He advised tliem to repeal the 
Yazoo Act if it could be done legally. On the second day of 
the session, Jared Irwin was elected governor. About the 
same time Josiah Tatnall was elected to the United States 
Senate, to succeed George Walton, who had been a])pointed 




BURNING THE YAZOO ACT. 

(Copyrighted.) 

by Governor Matthews upon the resignation of James Jack- 
son. The legislature at once took up the Yazoo Act. A 
committee of investigation pronounced it not binding on the 
State on account of the fraud used to obtain it. James Jack- 
son introduced a bill known as the " Rescinding Act." This 



148 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

was at once passed by both houses and signed by Governor 
Irwin, February 13, 1796. This declared that the sale of the 
Yazoo lands was not binding on the State, and that the money 
paid into the treasury should be given back to the Yazoo com- 
panies and the grants be considered void. 

It was resolved to burn the j^apers of tlie Yazoo Act, and to 
purge the records of everything relating to it. February 15, 
1796, wood was piled in front of the State House, and ignited 
by a burning-glass, in order that fire drawn from the heavens 
might consume the offensive papers. The Senate and House 
of Representatives marched out in solemn procession. When 
they reached the fire they formed a circle around it and vever- 
ently removed their hats. Tlie committee appointed to obtain 
the papers and records handed them to the president of the 
Senate. He passed them to the speaker of the House. They 
\vere then given to the clerk, and finally to the messenger. 
The messenger approached the fire and uttered these words: 
" God save the State! and long preserve her rights! and may 
every attempt to injure them j^erish as these corrupt acts now 
do! " He then threw the papers into the fire and they were 
burned to ashes. The members returned to tlie Capitol and 
work was resumed. 

The Yazoo companies refused to accept the proposed return 
of their money. They claimed the right to keep the land 
they had bought from the State, and carried their claims into 
the courts, and even before the Congress of the United States. 

After Georgia ceded to the general government in 1802 its 
territory Avest of the Chattahoochee Kiver, the claim of the 
Yazoo companies became a claim against the United States. 
The Supreme Court decided that the title of the companies to 
the laiuls which they had bought was valid, and the general 
government was forced to purchase the right to these lands 
from the Yazoo companies for large sums of money. 

While Georgia owned this western land the legislature liad 
organized tlie district around Natchez into a county called 



Questions and Topics. 149 

Bourbon. Justices of the Peace were appointed, among whom 
was Thomas Marston Green, who in after years performed the 
marriage ceremony of General Andrew Jackson and Mrs. Ra- 
chel Robards, on Georgia soil. Owing to the fact that Spain 
held this territory, the act was repealed after three years. 

[Jared Irwin was a faithful soldier in the Revolutionary war, and 
served in various campaigns against the Indians. He lived in Burke 
County in early life, but afterwards moved to Washington County. He 
was a brigadier-general of militia. He was a member of the various 
conventions for revising the Constitution of Georgia. He was president 
of the State Senate at different times from 1790 to 1818. He died in 
Washington County at the age of sixty-eight years.] 

[The details of the appearance of the old State House were furnished 
by Mr. William Fleming, of Jefferson County. The man with the burn- 
ing-glass in his hand is James Jackson ; next to him stands Thomas 
Glascock ; then John Milledge. The man on the right is William Few, 
while Jared Irwin stands behind the messenger. David B. Mitchell 
stands behind Jackson, and Peter Early behind Few. Benjamin Talia- 
ferro, David Meriwether, and David Emanuel were also present on this 
occasion.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who became governor in 1793 ? What of Georgia territory at this 
time ? What of the Yazoo companies in 1789 ? Why named Yazoo ? 
What was the result of the first attempt to buy the western lands ? What 
were formed in 1794 ? What was the action of Matthews ? Name the 
four companies. What was the size of the territory and the amount paid 
for it ? How was the Yazoo sale considered by the people ? What of 
James Jackson ? What of the Constitutional Convention of 1795 ? 
What city became the permanent seat of government ? Who was elected 
governor in 1796 ? What act was passed by the legislature ? Describe 
the fate of the Yazoo papers. What finally became of the claim of the 
Yazoo companies ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Western territory. 4. Rescinding of Act. 

2. First Yazoo companies, 5. Burning the papers, 

3. Yazoo Act, 6. Final settlement. 



CHAPTER XXYL 

CONSTITUTION- OF 1798. 




"The experience of sixty j-ears has demonstrated the wisdom of the Constitution of 
"98. It has undergone but few changes, and these were rendered necessary by the changes 
in the condition of the country."'— Joseph Henry Ltmpkix. 

Januaky, 171)8, James Jackson was 
elected governor. Ilia i-ecent course in 
regard to the Yazoo Act bad made liim 
the idol of the peoi)le. His administra- 
tion was marked for the adoption of the 
great C'onstitntion of 1708. 

As we liave already seen, the lirst Con- 
stitution of Georgia was ad(jpted Feb- 
ruary 5, 1777, soon after the people 
"^^ -• had formed a State government. After 

GOV. JAMES jArKsox. (icorgia entei'ed the I'nion, this Consti- 
tution was revised, and in October, 1789, 
another Constitution went into effect. This Constitution was 
further considered by a convention which met at Louisville in 
May, 1795. On account of the disturbed state of affairs but 
few changes were made. Another convention Avas ordered to 
be held in 1798. This hist convention fiiudly adopted the 
Constitution that lasted the State for over half a century. 

A convention of fifty-six delegates from twenty-one counties 
met in Louisville, the capital. May, 1798, '" for the purpose 
of taking into consideration the further alterations necessary 
to be made in the (Constitution." Among some of the promi- 
nent men of tlie convention were Governor James Jackson, 
Jared Irwin, Jesse Mercer, Robert Watkins, Benjamin Talia- 
ferro, Thomas (Jlascock, and Peter J. Carnes. 

Jared Irwin, the late governor, was elected president of 



Constitution of nos. 151 

the convention. The session lasted three weeks, and every 
article Avas carefully considered before it was adopted. Tiie 
Constitution was then drawn up on parchment, signed by 
the members, the Great Seal of the State was attached, and it 
was deposited in the office of the secretary of state. When 
the signal was given that the last name was signed to this 
great instrument, a salute of sixteen guns was fired by an 
artillery company stationed near by. 

The Constitution declared that the legislative, executive, 
and judiciary departments of the government should be kept 
separate and distinct. The legislative power was vested in a 
Senate, consisting of one member from each of the twenty-four 
counties, and in a House of Kepresentatives, composed of 
sixty-two members. These two branches made up the legisla- 
ture or General Assembly, which was to meet once a year. 

The executive power w^as vested in a governor, who was to 
be elected every two years by the legislature. He was the 
commander-in-chief of the army, navy, and militia of the 
State, had power to grant pardons, fill vacant offices, and his 
consent was required to all acts of the legislature. There was 
also a secretary of state, a treasurer, and a surveyor-general. 

The judicial powers, of the State were vested in superior 
and inferior courts. Each court was required to sit in each 
county twice a year. 

The boundary lines of the State were defined, and the eiforts 
of the preceding legislature to dispose of large tracts of the 
western territory were declared '' constitutionally void." The 
freedom of the press and trial by jury were to remain invio- 
late; the writ of habeas corpus was not to be suspended; free 
exercise of religion was guaranteed, and the importation of 
slaves after October, 1798, was forbidden. 

In compliance with the direction of the constitutional con- 
vention, a new great Seal of the State was adopted by the 
legislature of 1799. The seal consisted of a round disk about 
two inches in diameter. On one side (the obverse) were three 



153 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



pillars siipportiug an arch with the word " Constitution " 
engraved on it. This represented the three departments of 
the government upholding the Constitution of the State. 
Engraved on a wreath around one pillar was the word " Wis- 
dom," meaning that the legislature should be wise in making 

the laws; on an- 
other, the word 
''Justice," that the 
courts should be 
just in their deci- 
sions; on another, 
" Moderation," 
that the executive 
should administer 
the laws without 
severity. Xear the 
left-hand pillar was 
a man with a drawn 
sword, representing 
the military defence 
of the State. The 
inscription on this 
side was " State of 
Georgia, 1799." 

On the other side 
(the reverse) was a 
view of the seashore with a ship bearing a flag of the United 
States and riding at anchor near a wharf witli hogsheads of 
tobacco and bales of cotton on board. This represented the 
exports of the State. At a little distance Avas a boat from the 
interior, landing hogsheads, boxes, etc. This represented the 
trade from the interior. In the background was a man in the 
act of ploughing, and a flock of sheep shaded by a flourishing 
tree. This represented agriculture and grazing. Around all 
w^as the motto, '' Agriculture and Commerce. — 1799." 




GEORGIA STATE SEAL, 
{Obverse.) 



Constitution of nos. 



153 



This seal was placed in the office of the secretary of state to 
be attached to all official papers of the State government, and 
is the seal used at the present day. 

It is of interest to know that it was the first intention to 
engrave the words, '' Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation " on 
the bases of the three pillars, but the artist found it impossi- 
ble to make the let- 
ters large enough 
to be read. It was 
then changed to the 
present design. 

To improve the 
judiciary system, 
the State was di- 
vided into three su- 
perior court dis- 
tricts, viz. : the 
Eastern Circuit, the 
Middle Circuit, and 
the Western Cir- 
cuit. There were 
eight counties in 
each circuit. David 
B. Mitchell, George 
Walton, and Thom- 
as P. Carnes Avere 
elected judges of the 
superior courts of the three circuits. The three judges v/ere 
required to alternate in the circuits, so that no two successive 
terms of court in a county should be held by the same judge. 
The courts were held twice a year in each county, and each 
court had a clerk and a sheriff. There was no supreme court 
as yet, but the judges of the superior courts met once a year at 
the seat of government to decide difficult points of law and 
constitutional questions. 




GEORGIA STATE SEAL, 1799. 
(.Reverse.) 



154 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Since this chapter marks the close of the century, let us take 
a view of the condition of the State. The population had 
increased to about 163,000, having gained nearly 80,000 in 
ten years. The population of Savannah, the chief town, was 
over 5,000. The exports were valued at 11,750,000. These 
were principally rice, indigo, corn, cotton, sago, naval stores, 
leather, deer skins, myrtle, snake root, live stock, and lumber. 
The chief imports were West India produce, dry goods, wines, 
teas, beef, butter, cheese, potatoes, cider. 

[James Jackson was born in Enghuul, in 1757, and came to Savannah 
when he was but fifteen years of age. He began the study of hiw, 
but laid aside his studies to engage in the disputes with Great Britain. 
After the fall of Savannah in 1778, in company with John Milledge 
he went to South Carolina to join the forces of General Moultrie. As 
they were marching through the country, barefoot and ragged, they were 
seized as spies by some American soldiers, and came near being lianged 
before the mistake was discovered. At the battle of C'owpens, Jackson 
distinguished himself for bravery, and soon afterwards was made a lieu- 
tenant-colonel. He was present at the siege of Augusta, and added 
much to the success of the American arms. In 1782, when the Britisji 
evacuated Savannah, General Wayne appointed Colonel Jackson to re- 
ceive the surrender of the town. When only thirty-one years of age he 
was elected governor of Georgia, but refused to serve. He held nearly 
every high office in the gift of his State, and died in 1806 when acting 
as United States Senator.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Wiio liecame governor in 1798 ? What about the various constitu- 
tions up to this time? What convention met in 1798 ? When? Where? 
jNIention some prominent members. Who was president ? Describe the 
legislative power. The executive power. The judicial power. Men- 
tion some other provisions of the Constitution. When was the great 
seal adopted ? Describe the obverse side. The reverse. Describe the 
Superior Court district. What about the judge ? Give a statistical 
review of the State at this lime. 

TOPICS. 

1. Constitution of 1798. :>. Improving the judiciary. 

2. Great Seal of State (1799). 4. Statistical review. 



CHAPTER XXV II. 

THE U:N"IVERSITY founded. — WESTERN TERRITORY CEDED. 

"We must say that Georgia merits peculiar honor in being among the first States to 
make provision for a State University, and in passing most wholesome laws for securing 
to her sons the blessings of a liberal education on her own soil." — Stevens'' History of 
Georgia. 

James Jackson had been elected to tlie United States Sen- 
ate to succeed James Gunn, and resigned his position as gov- 
ernor. By the provisions of the Constitution, David Emanuel, 
who was president of the senate, became governor in March, 
1801, and held that office until the legislature could meet. 
When the legislature met in November following, Josiah Tat- 
nall was elected governor. The father of Governor Tatnall, 
being a royalist, had been among those banished by the State 
in 1782, and his property had been confiscated. After the 
legislature had elected his son governor, their good will was 
shown by an act which recalled the banished father and re- 
stored him to full rights as a citizen. AVhen the act was car- 
ried to the governor's office he signed it as follows: "With 
liv^ely expression of gratitude I affix my signature to this act." 

We have already seen in another chapter that the legislature 
liad set apart a large tract of land as an endowment for a uni- 
versity. In 1785 an act was passed " for the more full and 
complete establishment of a public seat of learning in this 
State." This act provided for a Board of Visitors and for a 
Board of Trustees. These two bodies united composed " The 
Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia," whose 
object was "" to consult and advise, not only upon the affairs 
of the university, but also to remedy the defects and advance 



150 JJJSTOliV OF GEOIUIIA. 

the interests of literature through tlie State iu geuenil." In 
1786 the trustees were autliorized to hiy out tlie town of 
Greeneshorougli on hinds htdonging to the university, and sell 
lots therein, and with the money thus raised to promote the 
interests of ""'learning and science." The money secured 
from the sale of these town lots in after years was used to pay 
in part for the buildings of the university at Athens. 

The legislature had broad and liberal ideas of what consti- 
tuted a university. They intended it to embrace all the 
schools and academies in the State, and an institution of learn- 
ing of the highest order located at the capital. The Senatus 
Academicus had power to visit and examine all the schools in 
Georgia supported by public money, and appoint all the 
teachers. The legislature intended that every county should 
have free schools and an academy, and that all should be 
united uiuler the supervision and direction of the Seiuitus 
Academicus, aiul be a part of the university. 

Fourteen years later, the legislature repealed the act locating 
the seat of the university at the State capital, and gave the 
Senatus Academicus the power to select any suitable i)lace, 
provided it should be in one of. the seven counties of Jackson, 
Franklin, Hancock, Greene, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, or Warren. 

In 1800 the board elected Josiah ^Meigs president, and in 
1801 selected a tract of laiul in Jackson County as the site of 
the college. This tract contained six hundred and thirty-three 
acres, and was bought by John Milledge, who presented it to 
the trustees. Upon this land college buildings Avere erected, 
and a town laid out and named Athens. Town lots were sold 
to raise money for the university. 

The college was opened in 1802, and in 1805 was named 
Franklin College. This was intended as a central college for 
the State and a i)art of the university plan, and is still in 
operation as the literary department of the university. Presi- 
dent Meigs began the work of the university before the build- 
ings were com])leted and while then' were only two houses in 




Old Colli^eHrKrHiJ 1801. Ni-W Collfcjt ijfcrto 1822 

■ iRiiiiiiifemK.«iFiii).,i7p iiiii.i>jii (ii'.JM 



158 History of Georgia. 

Athens. Recitations were often heard and lectures delivered 
under the shade of the trees, and for years President Meigs 
had almost the entire instruction of the college, aided only by 
a tutor or by some of the students. There was no library or 
apparatus, and the i^resident alone taught as many as sixty 
young men. 

In the spring of 1804 the first commencement was held in 
the open air under a large oak tree. There were ten gradu- 
ates. President Meigs, in a letter to John Milledge in 1805, 
wrote: "Your institution has taken a strong root and will 
flourish; and I feel some degree of pride in reflecting that 
a century hence, when this nascent village shall embosom a 
thousand of the Georgia youths, it will now and then be said 
that you gave this land and I was on the forlorn hope." 

An agreement was made in the year 1802, between the State 
of Georgia and the United States, by which Georgia ceded to 
the general government all that portion of her territory lying 
west of the present boundary line. It was an immense tract 
of valuable land, embracing almost the entire extent of the 
present States of Alabama and Mississippi. The ceded lands 
amounted to about eighty millions of acres. 

The conditions of this grant were as follows: 

1. Out of the proceeds of the sale of these lands, the 
United States shall give to Georgia ^1,250,000. 

2. All persons who are settled within this territory shall 
be confirmed in their titles by the United States government. 

3. The ceded lands shall be a public fund to be distributed 
by the United States in the usual way of disposing of public 
lands. 

4. The United States at their own exj^ense shall extinguish, 
for the use of Georgia, as soon as the same can be peaceably 
done on reasonable terms, the Indian titles to the county of 
Tallassee, to the lands occupied by the Creeks, and to those 
between the forks of the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers, for 
which several objects the President of the United States shall 



Western Territory Ceded. 159 

order a treaty to be held at ouce with the Indians. In like 
manner the United States shall extinguish the Indian titles 
to all the other lands within the State of Georgia. 

5. The territory thus ceded shall form a State as soon as it 
shall contain sixty thousand inhabitants, and as such be ad- 
mitted into the Union. 

In the same year the United States ceded to Georgia that 
part of the twelve-mile strip which lay north of the State. 
This made the thirty-fifth parallel the northern boundary. 

These articles were agreed to by the legislature of Georgia 
June 16, 1802. This made the present western and northern . 
boundaries of the State of Georgia, which have remained un- 
changed ever since. Soon after this all the money which had 
been paid into the treasury of Georgia by the Yazoo com- 
panies was turned over to the United States, and the dispute 
with these companies, so far as Georgia was concerned, was 
ended. 

By these articles of agreement, it was directed that a treaty 
be held at once with the Creek Indians for the purpose of ex- 
tinguishing their claim to the lands of Georgia, and making 
limits for their homes and hunting grounds. In June, 
1802, three commissioners, for the United States, met the 
Creeks at Fort Wilkinson, on the Oconee River, just below 
the site of the present city of Milledgeville. Forty chiefs 
and warriors were present, who were the head men of the 
Creek nation. The Indians signed a treaty ceding to the 
United States a large body of land west of the Oconee River, 
and also a strip of land extending from the Altamaha to the 
St. Mary's River. 

[The exact boundaries of the two cessions of land referred to in this 
chapter, and of all other cessions, can be seen by reference to the map 
showing the cession of lands by the Indians.] 

[David Emanuel had come to Georgia in 1770, and settled in Burke 
County. He had taken arms in defence of tlie State, and during the 
war of the Revolution had been active and brave. On one occasion he 



IGO HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

and two of his friends were captured by a party of British, and carried 
to McBean Creek, in Burke County, to be shot. A large fire being kin- 
dled, Emanuel and his two friends were stripped of their clothes, placed 
near the fire, and three soldiers were ordered to shoot them. At the 
discharge of the guns the two friends fell dead, but Emanuel, being 
unhurt, leaped over the fire and made good his escape.] 

[Josiali Tatnall was born near Savannah. At an early age he was put 
on board a man-of-war, bound for India, to prevent his return to Georgia. 
He managed to find his way back to America, and landed near Savannah, 
when he was only eighteen years old. He travelled on foot up the river, 
and joined the army of General Wayne. The war was near an end, how- 
ever, and he was not called into active service. Afterwards, he occupied 
many military positions, and was actively engaged against the Indians, 
He died in the West Indies in 1804, but his body was brought back to 
Savannah at his dying request, and placed in the burial ground at Bona- 
venture, near Savannah.] 

QUESTIONS. 

How did Emanuel become governor in 1801 ? Who was elected in No- 
vember following ? What graceful act was passed by the legislature ? 
What was the Senatus Academicus of the university ? How was money 
to be raised for the buildings ? What about the views of the legislature ? 
What was done fourteen years after ? When was the present site chosen ? 
What of the gift of John Milledge ? Who was the first president of the 
university ? Describe the beginning ; the first commencement ; the 
letter of Meigs in 1805. What agreement was made in 1802 ? What were 
the conditions ? What treaty was held in 1802 ? 

TOPICS. 

Founding the university : Cession of 1802 : 

1. Original university plan. 1. Territory granted. 

2. Choosing a site. 2. Conditions of grant. 

3. The first vears. 3. Treat v with Indians. 



CHAPTEH XXVIII. 



LAND LOTTERY AND HEAD RIGHTS. 




JOHN MILLEDGE. 



"Men and the soil constitute the strength and wealth of nations ; and the faster you 
plant the men the sooner you can draw on both/'— George M. Troup. 

The legislature of 1802 elected 
John Milledge, the revolutionary 
patriot and the generous friend of 
education, to be governor of Geor- 
Sfia. In 1804 he was reelected for 
another term. 

The land obtained by the treaty 
with the Creeks at Fort Wilkinson 
was divided into the counties of 
Wayne, Wilkinson, and Baldwin. 
These were surveyed at the public 
expense and divided into lots of 
various sizes. 
These lots were distributed among the people by a plan 
called the land lottery. The system of the lottery was as fol- 
lows: tickets, numbered to correspond with the numbers of 
the lots, were put in boxes along with many blank tickets. 
The persons entitled to draw were: ''all free white males 
twenty-one years of age or older; every married man, with 
children, under age; widows with children, and all families- 
of orphan minors. ' ' Lists of these persons were made out in 
each county, and sent to the governor, who caused the draw- 
ing to be held under the care of five managers. Many per- 
sons drew blanks. Others were fortunate, and plots and grants 
of their lots were given to them signed by the governor and 
having the great Seal of tlie State attached. 



162 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Twelve months after receiving his grant each person had to 
pay into the treasury the sum of four dollars for every hun- 
dred acres of land in his lot. These lots varied in size, some 
being two hundred and two and one-half acres, others four 
hundred acres. Those who failed to pay the required sum 
lost their titles to the land. 

The act which provided for this distribution of the public 
lands is known as the Land Lottery Act of 1803. Under this 
act and in the manner above described all lands west of the 
Oconee Eiver Avere distributed as they were acquired from the 
Indians. All the lands that lie east of the Oconee were dis- 
tributed by an older and different plan, known as the Head- 
right System. The Oconee River is the dividing line between 
the Head-right titles and the Land Lottery titles. The object 
of both systems Avas to induce the people to move into the new 
counties and cultivate the lands. 

The old Head-right Avarrants differed in many features from 
the Lottery. By the Head-right System ''each master or 
head of a family " Avas alloAved in his own head right to select 
and survey a body of unoccupied land to suit himself. Then 
after paying the expense of the survey and a small price for 
all land over two hundred acres, he secured a title called a 
Head-right Land Warrant. This Avarrant of survey Avas his 
title to the land described in it, provided that no one had 
already settled on the same tract. But the plan Avas not a 
good one. Only the rich lands Avere surveyed. Poor sections 
were neglected. Warrants for the same tract of land Avere 
sometimes issued to two different persons, Avliich caused strife 
and confusion. This plan Avas abandoned for the better 
scheme of the Land Lottery. 

Now that the western lands had been ceded to the United 
States and the general government had agreed to extinguish the 
Indian title to all lands in the limits of Georgia, it Avas decided 
to remove the capital from Louisville to the centre of the 
State. Therefore, at the same session of the legislature, 1803, 



LAND LOTTERY AND HEAD RIGHTS. 163 

a resolution was passed selecting a suitable spot at the head of 
navigation of the Oconee Eiver, as a site for the new capital, 
which was named Milledgeville, in honor of John Milledge, 
then governor of the State. 

Another Indian treaty for a cession of land was made with 
the United States in 1805. Henry Dearborn, Secretary of 
War, met six chiefs at Washington city, and bargained with 
them for the purchase of the remaining lands, between the 
Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers, as far as the present northwest 
boundary line of Morgan and Jasper counties. The treaty 
also provided that the United States might build forts, facto- 
ries, and trading-houses among the Indians. A horse-path 
was to be kept open through the Creek country, and travellers 
were to be allowed to pass through in safety. In considera- 
tion of all this the United States gave the Indians a large sum 
of, money. 

In March, 1806, Jackson died in Washington city, lamented 
by all the people of Georgia. He was buried four miles from 
Washington city, but afterwards his body was placed in the 
burying-ground of Congress. On his tomb are these words: 

" To the memory of General James Jackson, of Georgia, who deserved 
and enjoyed the confidence of a grateful country — a soldier of the 
Revolution." 

Honorable and noble in all his actions, he was devoted to 
Georgia. A little while before his death he said: "If after 
death my heart can be opened, there Avill be found written on 
it the word ' Georgia.' " 

Governor Milledge was elected United States Senator by the 
legislature at an extra session in June, 1806, and in September 
following tendered his resignation as governor. In this way, 
Jared Irwin, President of the Senate, again became governor, 
and when the legislature met in November he was elected to 
that office for a full term. 

On March 4th of the next year, Abraham Baldwin, who had 



164 History of Georgia. 

been elected to succeed Josiali Tattnall in the United States 
Senate in 1799, died in Washington city, and George Jones 
was appointed to fill the vacancy. When the legislature met, 
William 11, Crawford, from Oglethorpe County, a leading 
lawyer and a member of the Lower House of Congress, was 
elected to succeed him. 

[The ancestors of John Milledge came to Georgia with Oglethorpe. 
He was born in Savannah in 1757, and received the best education that 
the colony could afford. He was one of the brave men who took Governor 
Wright prisoner in his own house. When Savannah was captured by 
the British, lie with his friend, James Jackson, retreated into South Caro- 
lina on foot. They were mistaken for spies by a party of Americans 
and came near being hanged. He was present at the attempt to retake 
Savannah from the British. He was also active in Smith Carolina and 
in the attacks upon Augusta, and always showed much bravery. He 
resisted with all his influence the Yazoo fraud, and was prominent 
among those who brought about the Rescinding Act. He 'died in 1818 
at his home on the Sand Hills, near Augusta.] 

[Abraham Baldwin was born in Connecticut in 1754. He was graduated 
at Yale College, and after the Revolutionary War moved to Savannah. 
He began the practice of the law. He was a member of the Legislature, 
a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a member of the United 
States Constitutional Convention. He was a member of Congress for 
ten years, and afterwards a United States Senator for seven years. He 
was president pro tempore of the Senate from 1801 to the time of his 
death, March, 1807.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1802 ? What new counties were formed ? 
Describe the land lottery. What river is the dividing line between land- 
lottery and head-right titles ? Describe the head-right system. What 
site was selected for a new capital ? For whom was it named ? What 
lands were gained by the treaty of 1805 ? Tell about the death of Jack- 
son. Who succeeded him as senator ? Who became governor in 1806 ? 
When did Abraham Baldwin die ? Who succeeded him ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Land lottery. 3. Treaty of 1805. 

2. Head rights. 4. Death of Jackson and Baldwin. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



INTERN^AL IMPROVEMENTS. 



" Instead of decaying cities and a vacillating trade she will witness the proud and 
animating spectacle of maritime towns restored and flourishing, new ones rising up— her 
trade steadily increasing— her lands augmented in value and improved in cultivation— 
the face of the country beautified and adorned, and all this within the compass of her 
own resources, provided the ordinary economy be employed to husband, cherish, and 
improve them."— George M. Tkoup. 

The location of the boundary line 
between North Carolina and Georgia 
was a source of trouble for several 
years. In 1806 a surveyor was sent by 
the legislature to locate the thirty- 
fifth degree of north latitude and to 
run a line between the two States. 
North Carolina sent a surveyor for the 
same purpose, but these surveyors 
could not agree in their observations, 
and nothing was done. In 1807 an- 
other effort was made by two expert surveyors and the sur- 
veyor-general, who were provided with the best instruments. 
North Carolina would not take part in this survey. The 
boundary was unsettled until several years later, wlien the 
United States appointed commissioners under whose direction 
the line was run. 

The legislature held its session in the new capitol building 
at Milledgeville for the first time in 1807. The contract for 
the building was made two years before, and the work was now 
nearly done. The house was built of brick, on a high hill in 
the centre of a large park. It was a large building, and at that 




DAVID B. MITCHELL. 



166 



HISTORY OF Georgia. 



time was thought very elegant. It had ample rooms for the 
legislature, and offices for all the departments of government. 
Here the great men of the State assembled, and in legislatures 
and conventions shaped the policy of Georgia for over half a 
century. 

Milledgeville was still a small town when the legislature first 
met there. Not a hundred lots had been sold, and only a few 




OLD CAPITOL AT MILLEDGEVILLE. 



of these paid for. The town grew and prospered. A few 
years later a grand mansion was built by the people, in which 
the governors lived during their terms of office. Many wealthy 
citizens made ^lilledgeville their home, and as the capital city 
of Georgia it soon became famous as a centre of refinement 
and culture. 

David B. ^Eitchell was elected by the legislature iu !N"ovem- 
ber, 1809, to succeed Jared Irwin as governor. At the same 
session Charles Tait, of Elbert County, was elected United 



Internal Improyements. 167 

States Senator in j)lace of John Milledge^ who had resigned. 
Governor Mitchell's message to the legislature was full of sug- 
gestions for improving the public roads and clearing the rivers. 
In those days people did not travel by steamboats and railroad 
trains. The usual mode of going from place to place was by 
stage-coaches which held about ten or fifteen persons, and Avere 
drawn by horses, travelling twenty or thirty miles a day. It 
took nearly two months to go from Georgia to New York. It 
was important to have good roads for these coaches. The 
farmers hauled their produce to market sometimes hundreds 
of miles, or floated it down the rivers on rafts. An act was 
passed to cle^r the Savannah River and to forbid placing any 
obstruction in its stream. Shortly afterwards measures were 
taken to open Broad, Oconee, and Ogeechee rivers so that these 
streams might be navigable for small boats and rafts. 

The idea of running boats by steam had occurred to Will- 
iam Longstreet, of Augusta, Ga., as early as 1788. It was 
several years, however, before he could get money to build his 
boat and to provide an engine. Longstreet' s boat, like other 
great inventions, was made sport of; indeed it must have 
been a queer-looking craft. His idea was to have the boat 
propelled by a series of poles so arranged on a shaft that as 
the shaft turned on its axis the poles would strike the bottom 
of the river, and push the boat along. This was certainly 
very clumsy; but a boat of this kind was made and j^ut on 
the Savannah River in 1806, and moved by steam power. 

Robert Fulton's boat, the Clermont, made its trial trip on 
the Hudson River in August of 1807. He made use of pad- 
dle-wheels to strike the water instead of poles to strike the 
river bottom. Paddle-wheels were a great improvement, and 
Robert Fulton is called the inventor of the steamboat. To 
him belongs the idea of paddle-wheels, while to William 
Longstreet belongs the honor of having first made a boat run 
by steam power. 

In 1810 the ^'Agricultural Society of Georgia" was incor- 



168 History of Georgia. 

porated by the legislature. The object of this society was to 
collect information about farming and to suggest better 
methods to the farmers of the State. 

Few factories of any kind then existed. The peoj^le had 
turned their attention mainly to farming, to the lumber 
trade, and to raising cattle. In the year 1810 a factory was 
built by the Wilkes Manufacturing Company, with a caj^ital 
of $10,000. About the same time another was built on Little 
Eiver, in Morgan County; but neither prospered and both were 
abandoned. 

The first bank in Georgia was chartered in 1810. It was 
the " Bank of Augusta." Tlie Planter's Bank was chartered 
a few days later. Mount Zion Academy and Powellton Acad- 
emy Avere started in 1811, and were famous schools in their 
day. Other academies and schools appeared in all tlie settle- 
ments. In 1812 many academies all over the State were char- 
tered, and each had some aid from the legislature. 

The population of the State by the census of 1810, white 
and colored, had reached about 250,000. The exj^orts 
amounted to $2,500,000, having increased nearly a million 
dollars in ten years. Savannah was still the largest city, 
with a population of about 5,000. It was the main harbor, 
although much shipping was done by Brunswick, Darien, 
and St. Mary's. Augusta was still a small town Avith a good 
trade. 

By the apportionment based on this census Georgia Avas 
entitled to six representatives in Congress. 

[David B. Mitchell was born in Scotland in 1766. His uncle died in 
Georgia, leaving him some property, and he came to Savannah in 1783 
to take possession of it.. lie studied hiw, and was the clerk of a com- 
mittee appointed to revise the code of criminal laws of the State. In 
1795 he was elected Solicitor-General of Georgia. He was a member of 
the Legislature which passed the Yazoo Act, and A'oted against it. In 
1805 he was elected Major-General of the First Division of Georgia 
Militia. After serving twice as governor, he was appointed State Agent 
to the Creek Indians. He died in Baldwin County.] 



Questions and Topics. 169 

QUESTIONS. 

"What dispute arose about the boundary line ? How was it settled ? 
Where did the Legislature meet in 1807 ? Describe the new capitol 
building. What was the condition of the town of Milledgeville ? For 
whom was the county named? Who succeeded Jared Irwin as governor? 
What suggestions did his message contain ? What was done in response 
to the suggestions ? What about travelling in those days ? Who first 
thought of a boat propelled by steam ? Describe Longstreet's boat. 
What society was incorporated by the Legislature in 1810 ? What was 
its object ? What can you say about factories ? What factories were 
built in 1810 ? What banks were chartered in 1810 ? What academies 
were started in 1811 ? What about the population at this time ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Boundary lines. 4. Longstreet's steamboat. 

2. Change of capital. 5. Progress in manufacturing, etc. 

3. Internal improvements. 6. Statistics. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE WAR OF 1812. — INDIAN TROUBLES. 

* 
" The citizens of Georgia will ever be found in readiness to assert the rights and sup- 
port the dignity of the country, whenever called upon by the general government."'— 
Besolutions of Georgia jmtHots. 

For a number of 3^ears all Europe had beeu involved in war. 
As early as 1806 Xapoleon Bonaparte had declared all the ports 
of the continent of Europe closed against England. England 
retaliated the next year by orders which forbade any vessel 
entering the ports of France or her allies. By these edicts 
American vessels trading with either of these powers were 
liable to be captured by the other. The English warships 
searched American vessels and seized An^erican sailors whom 
they claimed* as British subjects and forced to serve in the 
British navy. In this state of affairs the United States closed 
their ports and forbade any vessel leaving them. 

This was known as the "Embargo of 1807" and was a 
great hardship to Georgia, whose main source of wealth was 
the cotton which was shipped to Europe. Nevertheless the 
legislature sent an address to the President, expressing its ap- 
proval of the act, and declaring that if the war should come 
the people of Georgia "will, in proportion to their number 
and resources, give zealous aid to the government of their 
choice." 

England tried to force a cotton trade with Georgia and 
South Carolina and sent war vessels to open the port of Savan- 
nah. In January, 1809, one of the vessels, the war brig 
Sandtvich, anchored off Tybee Island, at the mouth of the 
Savannah River. Two of the British officers came up to the 



The War of me. 171 

city to purchase cotton. The people refuged to sell and 
ordered the officers away. They went back to their vessels 
and put out to sea, but before doing so fired several shots at 
a pilot boat lying in the harbor. They threatened to return 
and destroy the town. This act made the peojDle indignant, 
and resolutions were passed and sent to the President of the 
United States, stating "that all hopes of a peaceful termina- 
tion of the difficulty had been lost, and the duty of the 
United States was to maintain their sovereign rights against 
the despots of Europe." The people of Georgia were in favor 
of war, and their senators and representatives in Congress were 
leaders in advocating a resort to arms. 

In June, 1812, the United States declaj-ed war against Eng- 
land. Governor Mitchell, in November following, sent a mes- 
sage to the legislature, advising them to prepare for the defence 
of Georgia's long stretch of exposed coast and frontier. " To 
do this the citizens must have arms and be taught the use of 
them, as well as the duties of the camp." The legislature 
appropriated $30,000 to be used in arming the soldiers, build- 
ing forts, and fitting out vessels to |)rotect the coast. The 
guns which were in the old arsenal at Louisville were sent to 
Milledgeville and divided among the military companies. A 
supply of swords and pistols was given to the cavalry. Gov- 
ernor Mitchell called for ten thousand soldiers to be placed 
along the coast. He bought five hundred stand of arms for 
the militia troops in the exposed counties next to Florida. 

The island of Amelia on the Florida coast became the 
liome of smugglers who, under Spanish protection, tried to 
evade the laws of the United States, and lawless characters 
from East Florida crossed into Georgia and were burning 
houses, stealing goods, and carrying off live stock. At the 
same time a revolution against the Spanish government had 
been started in East Florida. 

Georgia complained to the United States and asked for 
help. The President ordered United States troops to join the 



172 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Georgia troops under the command of Governor Mitchell, and 
put a stop to these outrages. He was instructed to persuade 
the revolutiouists of East Florida to annex that province to the 
United States. 

When he reached St. Mary's he wrote to the governor of 
East Florida that the Indians must return the stolen property, 
the smugglers must leave Amelia Island, and all the outrages 
must stop. Tlie Spanish governor refused to agree to this 
and attempted to drive off the American troops. A battle 
was fought, hut the Americans held their ground. ]\rean- 
while the revolution in East Florida had failed, and nothing 
resulted from the attempt to annex that province. 

As soon as war was declared, Tecumseh, the famous Shaw- 
nee chief, visited the southern Indians. He urged them to 
take advantjige of the conditions and by united efforts to drive 
the whites back to the coast. Ilis eloquence aroused the war- 
riors and alarmed the people. 

Governor Mitchell built block-house forts in the frontier 
counties, where the people were in a high state of excitement. 
These forts were built ten miles apart. Each fort was one 
hundred feet square, containing two block-houses, and was 
enclosed by a stockade eight feet high. Three forts were 
erected in Twiggs County, three in Telfair, and four in 
Pulaski. 

The dreaded attack came very soon. August 30, 1813, a 
body of Creek Indians, seven hundred and twenty-five in num- 
ber, surprised Fort Mims on the Alabama River at 12 o'clock 
in the day. Before the soldiers had time to close the fort and 
man their guns, the Indians were upon them, and massacred 
three hundred men, women, and childen in the most savage 
manner. 

This was a signal for a general uprising of the hostile 
Creeks and Seminoles. The Seminoles attacked the settle- 
ments along the Florida frontier. The Georgia troops imme- 
diately went after these robbers, and pursued them into the 



Questions and Topics. 173 

swamps. For seven days the Georgians remained in tlie heart 
of the Seminole country,, surrounded by savage foes, sleeping on 
the ground, and enduring hunger and great hardship. The 
Indians were found and were punished for their misdeeds. 
The legislature of Georgia passed a resolution of thanks to 
these soldiers for their bravery. 

•To punish the hostile Creeks of Alabama, the general gov- 
ernment ordered out the militia of Georgia and Tennessee. 
Three thousand six hundred Georgia troops collected at Fort 
Hawkins, on the Ocmulgee Kiver, the site of the present city 
of Macon. This fort had been built by the United States in 
1806, and named for Colonel Benjamin Hawkins. It was the 
strongest in Georgia, and now became the headquarters of the 
troops. General John Floyd was placed in command. 

[General John Floyd was born in South Carolina in 1769. In 1791 or 
1792 his father moved to Georgia, near the mouth of St. Ilia River in 
Camden County. lie applied himself to mechanics and boat-building 
and soon became a wealthy man. He represented Camden County in the 
legislature, received a commission as major-general on the State militia. 
He was also a member of Congress. He was a gallant soldier, and a 
patriotic citizen. He died in 1824.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What trouble had arisen between the United States and England ? 
What was the embargo of 1807 ? How did this affect Georgia ? Describe 
the outrage at Savannah. When was war declared ? What did Governor 
Mitchell advise ? What preparations were made for the war ? Describe 
the expedition against Florida. What was Governor Mitchell instructed 
to do ? With what result ? What about the block-house forts ? The 
massacre at Fort Mims. Describe the expedition against the Seminoles. 
What preparations were made to punish the Creeks ? Where were the 
troops assembled ? Who was in command ? 

TOPICS. 

1. The cause of the war. 4. Preparations for war. 

2. Patriotism of Georgia. 5. Expedition against Florida. 

3. Outrage at Savannah. 6. Punishing the Indians. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE END OF THE WAR OF 1812. 



" I hope no such disruption will ever come, but if it should I have no wish that Georgia 
should survive the general wreck.'"— Peter Early. 




GOVERNOR PETER EARLY. 



Ik 1813, the second term of 
David B. Mitchell having ex- 
pired, Peter Early was elected 
governor. Governor Early was 
strong in will, prompt in action, 
and began vigorous measures for 
carrying on the war. An officer 
of the United States asked him for 
a loan of 180,000, and pledged the 
faith of the general government 
for its payment. Tlie request was 
granted and a warrant drawn upon 
the treasury of the State for that 
amount. Some one suggested to Governor Early that the 
Union might dissolve during the war and the money be lost. 
To this he gave the noble reply which heads this chapter. 

The legislature appropriated $20,000 for General Floyd, with 
which he bought guns, powder, and rations for the soldiers at 
Fort Hawkins, and made ready to march against the Creeks. 
He built a line of block-house forts from the Ocmulgee to the 
Alabama River, to protect the northern part of the State. On 
the west bank of the Chattahoochee River he built Fort 
Mitchell and put a strong garrison in it. He then marched 
rapidly by night to Autossee, one of the largest towns of the 
Creek nation, near Tallassee, on the left bank of the Talla- 



176 History of Georgia. 

poosa River, in the heart of the Creek country. The cele- 
brated Creek chief, William ^Mcintosh, a friend of the whites, 
and four hundred warriors were with him. The Cowetas and 
a number of other Creek tribes living in Western Georgia had 
refused to join in the war against the whites and remained 
their firm friends and allies. 

Just before day-break, November 29, 1813, an assault was 
uiade at the same time upon both Autossee and Tallassee. By 
nine o'clock the battle was won, two hundred warriors and the 
kings of both towns were killed, and the houses were in flames. 

The pipe of the king of Tallassee, which had been smoked 
at a treaty forty years before, was captured and sent to the 
governor, who hung it in his office in Milledgeville. During 
the battle General Floyd was shot in the knee. He did not 
stop to have his wound dressed, but remained in command of 
his troops the entire time. After the battle General Floyd 
returned to Fort Mitchell, having marched one hundred and 
twenty miles in seven days with only five days' [Provisions. 

He again advanced, January, 1814, from Fort Mitchell 
against the Creeks. He had heard that the upper Creeks had 
collected in large numbers at Hotle Crawle, a town of some 
importance. He sent a force of fifteen hundred men to attack 
this place, and they dispersed the Indians after a battle, known 
as the battle of Challibbee. A few days after the battle the 
term of service of many of the troops expired, and they re- 
turned to their homes. General Floyd was ordered to march 
with a brigade to Savannah to protect that place. Here he 
remained in command until the end of the war, 

General Andrew Jackson still carried on the war against the 
Indians. His crowning victory was at Horse Shoe Bend on 
the Tallapoosa River. Here the hostile Creeks were com- 
pletely crushed, and were obliged to sue for peace. A treaty 
was made at Fort Jackson, August 0, 1814. Nearly all 
the land between the Chattahoochee and Altamaha rivers, 
owned by the Creeks, was ceded to tlie general government. 



The End of the War. of is is. 177 

besides large tracts west of tlie Chattahoochee. Out of this 
territory twenty counties in southern Georgia have since been 
formed. 

One of these counties was named in honor of Colonel Daniel 
Appling, who was born in Columbia County. At Sandy Creek, 
N"ew York, he performed a great feat of bravery, and the leg- 
islature of Georgia presented him with a handsome sword 
suitable to an officer of his rank. But he died before the 
sword readied him. In honor of his bravery the sword was 
hung in the office of the governor. 

After the treaty with the Iiidians, General Jackson marched 
to Mobile. Here he learned that the British ships had en- 
tered the harbor of Pensacola, had lauded an army and were 
arousing the Indians. Governor Early learned that British 
ships were also at Appalachicola and w^ere inciting the Indians 
and runaway negroes to overrun Georgia. The command of 
the frontier was given to General David Blackshear, General 
Floyd being unable to take command on account of his 
wounds. 

In October the general government called on Georgia for 
2,500 militia, to join General Jackson at Mobile. These 
troops were ordered to meet at Fort Hawkins and were placed 
under command of Major-Gen. John Mcintosh and Brig.- 
Gen. David Blackshear. In November news was received that 
the Seminoles had arisen along the Flint Eiver, and General 
Blackshear was sent Avith a body of troops to subdue them. 
General Mcintosh started for Mobile with the remainder of 
the militia, instructing General Blackshear to join him there. 

When Blackshear reached the Flint Eiver he found that the 
Seminoles had already been subdued, and learned that the 
British ships had sailed toward Kew Orleans, and that Jack- 
son had marched overland to that place. In January, 1815, 
a large British fleet appeared off the lower coast of Georgia. 
General Blackshear was ordered to retrace his steps and join 
General Floyd at Savannah. The road he built on that 
12 



178 History of Georgia. 

march was called " Blackshear's Road/' and as such is known 
to the present day. General Floyd sent him word that the 
British were two thousand strong on land, had pillaged the 
town of St. Mary's, and had withdrawn to Cumberland Island. 

January 26, 1815, news was received of the brilliant victory 
of General Jackson over the British at Xew Orleans. The 
news was carried by Indian runners from Mobile to Fort 
Hawkins. General Blackshear received the news on February 
4, and sent a courier to General Floyd at Savannah, with a 
letter stating '^ nineteen guns were fired at Fort Hawkins on 
Monday last in celebration of the victory." 

In February news reached Georgia that a treaty of peace had 
been signed at Ghent in Belgium, on Christmas Eve, between 
the United States and England. This put an end to the 
threatened invasion of Georgia. The terms of peace did not 
suit all the States. Georgia was much opposed to the treaty. 
Eesolutions were passed, asking the President of the United 
States to continue the war rather than consent to the treaty. 
The treaty, however, was ratified, and peace was declared 
between the two nations. 

During the war William H. Crawford had been appointed 
minister to France, and resigned his position as United States 
Senator. William B. Bulloch, of Savannah, was appointed to 
fill the position until the legislature met in 1813, when Dr. W. 
AV. Bibb was elected. 

[Peter Early was born in Virginia in 1773, and when a young man 
came to Georgia to practise law in Wilkes County, In 1802 he was 
elected to Congress, and was a leading member of that body. In 1807 
he was appointed judge of the Superior Court in the Ocmulgee circuit. 
He died August, 1817.] 

[General Blackshear was born in North Carolina in 1764. He came to 
Georgia in 1700, and settled in Laurens County near the Oconee River. 
He was often engaged in battles with the Indians and was a brave soldier. 
In 1815 a vote of thanks was given General Blackshear for his services. 
He died at his home in Tjaurens County at the ripe age of seventy-three.] 



Questions and topics. 179 

[" One among the most remarkable feats ever recorded in the annals of 
war took place on the St. Mary's River in the year 1815. Twenty-three 
barges, piled with British soldiers, ascended St. Mary's River for the 
purpose of burning Major Clarke's mills as a retaliation for breaking his 
parole. The St. Mary's is a very crooked river, from sixty to one hun- 
dred yards wide. The enemy intended to land at a place called Camp 
Pinckney, and march to Clarke's Mills, on Spanish Creek, three miles 
distant. Whilst the barges were ascending they were attacked by a party 
of twenty-eight men under the command of Captain William Cone. As 
soon as they were attacked they fired their cannon, but the palmetto on 
both sides of the river served as a screen for Cone's men, so that the shot 
from the enemy proved harmless. In this manner the barges were 
harassed for several miles. Cone's men took advantage of every turn 
of the river to fire upon them, and every shot brought down a man. 
Finding themselves exposed to so deadly a fire, the barges retraced their 
course toward St. Mary's. Upon their arrival at the latter place they 
reported one hundred and eighty men killed and as many wounded."] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who became governor in 1813 ? How did Early show his patriotism ? 
What did General Floyd do ? What forts did he build ? Where did he 
march ? Who went with him ? Tell about the battles of Autossee and 
Tallassee. Describe the battle of Challibbee. Where were the Creeks 
crushed and by whom ? What about the treaty at Fort Jackson ? For 
whom and why was Appling County named ? Who was placed in com- 
mand of the frontier ? What was he told to do ? What other troops 
were raised in Georgia and for what purpose ? Describe Blackshear's 
movements. Tell about the news of the victory at New Orleans. What 
about the treaty of peace ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Early's patriotism. 4. Movements of Mcintosh. 

2. Floyd's victories over the 5. Movements of Blackshear. 

Creeks. 6. End of the war. 

3. Treaty at Fort Jackson, 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



PROGRESS OF THE STATE. 




KEV. MOSES WABDELL. 



" In every situation in which I have been phiccd, my highest object and only aim have 
been to promote the interests and prosperity of our beloved country."— William Rabun. 

David B. Mitchell was elected 
governor a third time iu 1815. He at 
once began the work of repairing the 
losses of war. Tlie legislature appro- 
priated money to aid schools, to build 
' v<^^_ /'^^^^^ libraries, hospitals, and jioor-houses. 
^J^K^^m^K^ An act was passed requiring the owners 
of old and infirm slaves to support 
them in comfort. As early as 1803 an 
appropriation was made to build a peni- 
tentiary in Milledgeville. The build- 
ings were now ready, and the legislature passed the Peniten- 
tiary Act. 

The laws prescribing punisliment for crimes were revised in 
1816 to suit the penitentiary system. One of the sections for- 
bade any traders to bring negro slaves to the State to sell, 
under penalty of a fine of one thousand dollars and five years 
in the jienitentiary. But this did not prohibit residents of 
the State from importing slaves for their own use. Other 
southern States had similar laws. 

The same legislature elected George 31. Troup to succeed 
Bibb as United States Senator. Troup had served with dis- 
tinction in the lower house of Congress, and during the war had 
been chairman of the committee on military aifairs. Bibb was 
appointed governor of the Territory of Alabama, and when 



Progress of the state. 181 

that territory was admitted as a State he was chosen its first 
governor. 

Benjamin Hawkins, the friend of the Indians, died in 1816. 
He was very old, but had faithfnlly done the duties of his 
office. He had a large farm and a beautiful home in the Indian 
country, where he was glad to entertain his friends. Under 
his care the southern Indians had improved very much in civ- 
ilization. Many of them had houses and farms and assumed 
the dress and habits of the white people. There were some 
schools and churches among them. Benjamin Hawkins was 
buried at the old agency on the Flint Eiver, now in Crawford 
County, among the Indian friends he had loved so well. 

Governor Mitchell was appointed by President Monroe to 
succeed Colonel Hawkins as southern agent for Indian affairs. 
He resigned his office as governor November 4, 1817. Under 
the Constitution he was succeeded by William Eabun, the 
president of the Senate, who was soon after duly elected 
governor. 

In 1817 a war with the Seminoles broke out. The In- 
dians had stolen several hundred cattle in Camden County. 
A. party appeared near Clarke's Mills on the St. Mary's Eiver, 
brutally murdered a woman and two children, burnt their 
dwelling and fled. In addition to this, the Seminole Indians 
had harbored several murderers and refused to give them 
up. Major-General Gaines, under the orders of General 
Andrew Jackson, marched United States troops to the Flint 
Eiver and sent a friendly message to the Indian chief on the 
opposite side. This message was not heeded. Accordingly a 
body of troops was sent across the river. The Indians fired 
upon them and the fire was returned. The Indians then fled, 
leaving four of their warriors slain. 

In Xovember, General Gaines ordered Colonel Arbuckle, with 
three hundred Georgia militia, to pursue the Indians. The 
Indians placed themselves in a swamp and fired upon the 
Georgians as they passed by, but no one was hurt. Another 



182 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



ambush of one thousand savages was formed near the Appa- 
lachicola. A passing boat was attacked and nearly every man 
was slain or taken prisoner. On one occasion the Indians 
penetrated as far as Fort Scott, and murdered several persons. 
It was expected that they would try to reduce Fort Gaines and 




FORT GAINES (1816). 

Fort Scott. But General Andrew Jackson, with a body of 
one thousand troops, arrived early in 1818 at Fort Scott, drove 
back the Indians, and took j^rompt measures to reduce St. 
Mark's at Pensacola, which post soon surrendered. 

In 1817 the Cherokee Indians ceded to the United States 
all the lands they owned in Georgia east of the Chattahoochee 
River. These lands were in the northeastern part of the 



Progress of the state. 



183 



State and were organized into the counties of Hall and 
Habersham. In 1818 the Creeks ceded a large body of land 
between the Appalachee and the Chattahoochee rivers, out 
of which Gwinnett and Walton counties were made. At the 
same time they ceded a tract of land lying south of the 
Ocmulgee River. The next year the Cherokees ceded to 




THE " SAVANNAH." 



the United States the land lying between the Chattahoochee 
and the Chestatee rivers in the extreme northeastern part of 
Georgia. Out of this territory Rabun County was formed. 

In 1818 Governor Rabun appointed commissioners for Geor- 
gia to meet other commissioners from Tennessee to run the 
boundary line between these two States. The surveyors met 
at a place on Nickajack Creek near the north Georgia line, 
and after several weeks of work ran the line to the satisfaction 
of all parties. During the same year Wilson Lumpkin, of 
Georgia, ran the southern boundary line between Georgia and 
Florida. 

The university had languished until the enrolment had 
gone down to seven students. In 1819 the trustees elected 
Moses Waddell, president. He was a famous teacher and had 



184 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 




MATTHEW TALBOT. 



numbered tiinong his pupils William H. Crawford, John C. 
Calhoun, and other great men of the country. By his energy 
and liigh character as educator the enrolment of the university 

soon went to over one hundred stu- 
dents. The prosperity of that insti- 
tution dates from his adminis- 
tration. 

The first steamship to cross the 
Atlantic Ocean was built by William 
Scarborough, a wealthy merchant 
and planter of Savannah. It used 
pitch-i)ine for fuel, and had an iron 
wheel on each side, which could 
close up like a fan and could be un- 
shipped at will. Instead of wheel- 
houses, heavy canvas was used to cover the wheels. The vessel 
was built at Elizabeth town, X. J., and was named ^^ Savan- 
nali.^^ The trial trip was from Charleston to Savannah, and 
on board was President Monroe, who was there visiting the 
South, and who, during his stay in Savannah, was the guest of 
AVilliam Scarborough. The vessel sailed from Savannah in 
1819 and visited Liverpool, Copen- 
hagen, Norway, and went as far as 
St. Petersburg. It was the wonder 
of Europe. Even the royalty came 
on board to examine it. The smoke 
from the engine stack made the 
people first think the vessel was on 
fire, anil more than one offer of aid 
was made to extinguish the flames. 

Early in 1819 Spain ceded East 
and West Florida to the United 
States for five million dollars. The 
consent of Spain to the cession was secured by John Forsyth, 
of Georgia, who had been apjiointed minister to Spain by 




KUKEMAN WALKER. 



PROGRESS OF THE STATE. 185 

President Monroe. Forsjtli was United States Senator from 
Georgia at that time, having succeeded George M. Troup, 
who had resigned in 1818. Upon the resignation of Forsyth, 
Freeman \\'alker, of Augusta, was elected. The same legishi- 
ture elected John Elliott senator to succeed Charles Tait. 

Governor Rabun died October, 1819, while in discharge of 
his duties as governor. Matthew Talbot, of Wilkes County, 
the president of the Senate, at once became governor, and 
served until the legislature could meet. 

By the census of 1820 the population of Georgia was three 
hundred and forty thousand, and the State gained one repre- 
sentative in Congress. Savannah now had eight thousand in- 
habitants and her trade was rapidly growing. 

[Benjaniin Hawkins was born in Xorlli Carohna in 17o4. He was 
educated at Princeton College, and became so versed in the P^rench lan- 
guage that General Washington employed him as an interpreter during 
his intercourse with the French officers. lie was with Washington at the 
battle of Monmouth, and upon several other occasions. He was a mem- 
ber of Congress and United States Senator from North Carolina until he 
was appointed Agent of Indian Affairs in the South.] 

[William Rabun was born in North Carolina in 1771. He came to 
Georgia in 178.J with his father, and after living in Wilkes County for a 
year, moved to Hancock County. His education was limited, but he read 
much, and was very popular with his fellow-citizens. For many years 
he represented Hancock County in the legislature, and was president of 
the Senate, when he was called by the resignation of Governor Mitchell 
to the chair of governor. He died while governor, Octol)er 24, 1819.] 

[Matthew Talbot by birlh was a Virginian. He settled in Wilkes 
County in 1785, and afterwards moved to Oglethorpe. His honesty and 
firmness made him one amongst the most popular men in Georgia. 
Whilst a citizen of Wilkes he was often elected a member of the legis- 
lature. When he moved to Oglethorpe he was appointed a delegate to 
the Constitutional Convention of 1798. In 1808 he was elected to the 
Senate, and was president of that body from 1818 to 1823. He died in 
Wilkes County, September 17. 1827, aged sixty years, leaving behind 
him the character of an honest and patriotic citizen.] 



186 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

[William Wyatt Bibb was Ijoni in Virginia in 1780. He studied medi- 
cine, and, moving to Georgia, settled first in Elbert and then in Wilkes 
County. At the age of twenty-five lie was elected to Congress and came 
within a few votes of being elected Speaker of the House of Representa- 
tives. He was in the Senate from 1813 to 1816. He was appointed gov- 
ernor of the Territory of Alabama in 1816, and when that Territory was 
admitted as a State was elected its first governor. He was killed at the 
age of forty years by a fall from his horse. Bibb County, in Georgia, is 
named in his honor.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1815 ? Mention some acts of the legis- 
lature passed at this time. What are the laws for crimes ? Who suc- 
ceeded Bibb as senator ? What can you say of Trou4i ? What of Bibb ? 
What about the death of Hawkins? Who succeeded him? What war 
broke out in 1817 ? What did Gaines do ? How was the war ended ? 
What did the Cherokees cede in 1817 ? The Creeks in 1818 ? The Cher- 
okees in 1819 ? What boundary line was run in 1818 ? What can you 
say of the university ? Describe the steamship Savannah. What about 
the cession of Florida in 1819 ? Mention the new senators at this time. 
What of the death of Rabun ? Wlio succeeded him ? Give the statistics 
of 1820. 

TOPICS. 

1. Legislation in 1816. 5. Cessions of territory. 

2. Troup and Bibb. 6. The university. 

3. Death of Hawkins. 7. '^tQ'A\w6\\\\^ Sarannah. 

4. Seminole war. 8. Death of Rabun. 



CHAPTER XXXIIL 



HOW THEY LIVED IN EARLY TIMES. 

" Where is a land on wliicli a deeper bine 
Divinely bends than that I prondlj^ view, 
Where broader rivers sweep to join the main, 
All brijilitly winding throntjh their rich domain,— 
Where pronder mountains look o'er softi'r vales, 
Or greener forests wave to freslier gales V "— Robkkt T"". ITj 



Eighty years ago there were no large cities in Georgia. Most 



of the people lived on farms, or in small towns, 
ier people lived on large 
plantations. Their 
houses, nsnally white, 
were spacious and ele- 
gant, with green win- 
dow-blinds, and in the 
front, wide porticoes 
with handsome col- 
umns. They were gen- 
erally surrounded by 
groves of oak and other 
trees, and were so situ- 
ated as to overlook the 
plantations. 

Not only in Georgia, 
but all over the South, 
the residences of the 
planters were abodes of 
culture and luxury. 
The sons and daughters 



The wealth- 




MKS. GOVERNOR EARLY. 



188 If IS TORY OF Georgia. 

were educated in the best schools of the country, and music, 
painting, art, and literature made the home life refined. The 
men wore ruffled shirts of the finest linen, and coats of rich 
velvet. Their wives and daughters dressed in imported silks 
and satins. The accompanying picture, reproduced from a 
])ortrait of the wife of Governor Early, shows the evening 
dress of ladies of the period. 

The family of the planter lived in profusion and plenty. 
They were attended by a number of servants, and drove to 
church or to town in the family carriage. Tlieir hospitality 
was unbounded. Several neighboring families would often 
gather jit one house and spend a week or jnore in a social party. 
And hospitality was shown not only to friends, but strangers. 
Ko traveller in distress was ever refused a meal or a night's 
lodging, and the respectable traveller, poor or rich, was always 
welcome as a guest as long as he i)leased to stay. 

But all the peojile of Georgia were not rich plantei'S. A 
great many of our best men Avere plain ^leople. Their houses 
were simple buildings, situated generally near the high roads 
or on the banks of rivers. These people did all their own 
work. '.riieir clothes were made of cloth nninufactured by 
themselves. The women carded the cotton or wool Avith hand- 
carders into small rolls. These rolls tliey s])un on spinning- 
wheels into thread, which they dyed whatever colors they 
desired, and they wove the thread into cloth on home-made 
looms. Such looms and spinning-wheels are yet to be found 
in many country houses of Georgia, especially in the northern 
districts. Here the good old custom of household industry in 
the production of home-spun is still kept up by the wives and 
daughters of thriving and respectable farmers. 

The houses of the frontier settlers usually had but one 
room, the floor of which was made of puncheons, that is, split 
logs with the faces smoothed by an ax or hatchet. There 
were no lamps, and candles were not often used. Blazing 
pine knots in the fire-place generally served for both light and 



How They Lived in Early Times. 



189 



heat. The boys of the family, after working all day in the 
fields, would at night lie down in front of the pine-knot fires 
and learn to read and write. Many of these boys became in 
after years distinguished men in the history of the State. 

The cooking in early times was done in large, open fire- 
places. In the fire-place was a crane for holding kettles or 




SPINNING AND WEAVING. 



pots over the fire. Corn bread was baked in the hot ashes — 
hence called " ash cakes " — and potatoes were often cooked in 
the same way. Bread of other kinds was baked in ovens, 
which were also used for baking meat. Turkeys were roasted 
on a spit hung before the fire. 

The negroes belonging to the plantations lived in small 
houses, generally built in a row, and called the ''negro quar- 
ters," or "the quarters." Being well treated, they Avere free 
from care, and were, therefore, happy, and devoted to their 
masters. KHqy the dav's labor they had their simple sports, 



190 History of Georgia 

such as dancing, playing the banjo, and 'j^ossum hunting. 
They were fond of singing, even at their work. And at night, 
around the fire in '' the quarters," or at their meeting houses, 
they would sing their melodies in rich, musical voices. The 
white children considered it a great privilege to play around 
" the quarters " and listen to the stories of ''Brer Rabbit" 
and *' Brer Fox " related by the old negroes. 

There were no railroads in those times, and travelling long 
distances was generally done by means of coaches called stage 
coaches. The drivers had horns made of tin, which they 
sounded as they came near a town or village, or occasionally 
as they went along the highway, to give notice of their ap- 
proach. The mails were carried by these stages. 

At convenient stations along the roads there were hotels, 
which in those days were called inns, where the horses were 
changed and the travellers could get their meals or rest for 
the night. NoAvaclays we can go from one end of Georgia to 
the other in a day, or can take a sleeping-car in Atlanta after 
supper and be in Savannah to breakfast ; but in those times 
the journey would make nearly a week of uncomfortable 
riding. 

The absence of railroads compelled the people to bring all 
goods and merchandise into the State in wagons, and to carry 
their crops in the same way to Savannah, Augusta, or Charles- 
ton, which were the great markets in those days. ^lany had 
to drive more than a hundred miles to reach one of these 
towns, and they used great canvas-covered wagons, in which 
they carried i)ro visions, coffee-pots, and skillets for cooking, 
and blankets to wrap themselves up in at night. Neighbors 
who had to make such a journey would start at the same time 
and travel together, so that long wagon trains were constantly 
passing the public roads. When night came the wagons 
stopped by the side of the road near a spring or a small 
stream, ami a camp fire was built. Supper was cooked, and 
the travellers lay down in the large wagons and slept till 



Georgia Crackers. 191 

morning. The driver of each wagon carried a whip, which he 
often popped and cracked as he drove along. With the handle 
in both hands, he would pop his large whip from side to side 
until it sounded like the rapid firing of a pistol. From this 
practice the name ^'Georgia Cracker" is said to have origi- 
nated, the cracker being a man from the country, who, in 
driving to market, cracked his whip as he went along. 

[Other explanations of the origin of " Georgia Crackers " arc as follows : 
From the Century Dictionary — "One of an inferior class of white hill 
dwellers in some of the Southern United States, especially in Georgia and 
Florida. The name is said to have been applied because cracked corn is 
their chief article of diet : it is as old in Georgia and Florida as the time 
of the Revolution." 

Ricliard Malcolm Johnston says, that among the followers of Gen. 
Francis Marion in his guerrilla warfare, during the war of the Revolution, 
were some Georgians, who were especially expert in the use of the rifle, 
the "crack" of which got to be much dreaded by the British, who gave 
these riflemen the name of Georgia Crackers. After the war the name 
changed from a military to a social significance. 

A theory of Charles H. Smith (Bill Arp) is that the hardy and indus- 
trious Scotchmen who settled in Georgia, and who came in conflict with 
the rough and uncultured settlers from other sections, called them 
"crackers," which is a Scotch term, and means "boasters," "idlers," 
who talk much and work little. Cracked and crack-brained may have 
the same origin.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the homes of the planters in the early times. How did the 
men dress ? The women ? What about the hospitality ? Describe 
the homes of the plain people. How were clothes made ? Tell about the 
houses of the frontier settlers. What about cooking ? Where did the 
negroes live ? What were some of their sports ? What about travelling ? 
How did people get to market ? What is the origin of ' ' Georgia Cracker " ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Home life of the planters, 4. The frontier settlers. 

2. Home-made cloth. 5. Negroes and their sports. 

3. Cooking. 6. Going to market. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



EARLY CUSTOMS AXD HA BITS. 



"Ccoriiia, sir, is my hoim-, as it was that of liitn fnnn whom I derived my beiii<r— asit 
is, and will bo, tho iiomi- oi' my childron. Humanly spoakiiiLT, it is tlie boundary of my 
liojKs and of my wislios ; ami wiu-ilu'r for weal or woo, 1 am content to sliaro tho lot of 
hor pooplo."'— .loiiN M. Hkkuien. 

Ix the northern part of the State, and beyond the bor- 
dei's. a great deid of tobacco was raised. The tobacco, wlien 
cured, was pressed into huge and securely-bonnd hogsheads. 
Around the lieads of these hogsheads were pinned wooden fel- 
loes, which nuule awheel at each end, and in the centre of each 
head a large pin was inserted to serve as an axle. A hick- 
ory pole was split at one end to form shafts, which were 
fastened to the axle. ^[ules or oxen were hitched to the 
l)ole, and as they moved they drew the hogsheads along. 
Man}' of these teams would go together for company, and the 
drivers were called '* tobacco rollers."". A road kiunvn as the 
"' t(>btu'co road "" begins in the upper ])ortion of the State and 
wiiuls in and out until it rca.ches the Savannah l\iver below 
the shoals, in Kichmond County. A peculiarity of this road 
is that it is nowhere crossed by water, this having been neces- 
sary to save the tobacco from injury by wetting. AVhen the 
river was reached, the hogsheads were placed on flatboats and 
floated to Savannah. 

There were but few newspapers in those times, and the 
people learned about political nnitters at large i)ublic meetings. 
These meetings were addressed by the leading men of the day, 
who generally spoke from a i)latform built under the shade of 
a tree. Sometimes several thousand citizens from a half dozen 
counties would gather at some central place to hear i)olitical 



Early Customs and Habits. 



193 



speeches. In this way the people were instructed on public 
iift'iiirs, and powers of orator}' and capacity for statesmanship 
were developed, that made Georgia and other Southern States 
famous in the history of the country. 

It was the custom at these political meotings to cook and 
eat a whole pig or kid or calf, the carcass of the animal beiug 
roasted on poles stretched over a fire made in a hole dug in the 
grouiul. This was called a '•barbecue," and 
barbecue became famous throuo-hout the countrv. 



the Georgia 






^mi' 






''If L-^5V^ 




^-m^^.^^T:: 



ON TTTK TORACrO ROAD. 



Another great occasion of public gatherings was ''muster 
thiy," when citizens liable to military service met to be drilled 
in the manual of aruis and in marcliing and counter-marching. 
The Federal Govcrnuient had but a small standing army at 
that time, and depended upon the States to furnish soldiers in 
case of war. These State troops were called militia. The 
men were organized into companies, battalions, regiments, and 
brigades, and there were captains, majors, colonels, brigadier- 
generals and major-generals. These officers wore bright uni- 
forms and were j^ersous of influence and importance. Governor 
13 



194 



History of Georgia. 



Mitchell was a major-general; so also were David Meriwether, 
Hugh Haralson, John Clark, John Floyd, and other men 
prominent in the history of the State. On muster days the 
people came out in large numbers to view the parade. 

Among the social customs of early times in Georgia Avas 



rT^ 










CORN SHXTCKING. 



'' house raising." \\'lien a settler wanted to l)uild a log cabin 
in the woods, he cut down enough logs for the purpose and 
invited the neighbors to come and help him raise them to their 
pr()])er places and sot them up in the frame of the house. The 
neighbors cheerfully did this, for they were always ready to 
lend a helping hand to one another. 

Another custom was known as "log rolling." When a 
piece of forest ground was to be cleared, the trees were belted 



Early Customs and habits. 195 

to Illlike them die. In this istiitc they were blown down by the 
winter winds, and the first work in the spring was to cut them 
into logs of convenient size for rolling. The farmer invited 
the aid of his neighbors, and they helped him roll the logs into 
piles for burning. Upon these occasions feats of strength and 
activity Avere a part of the programme. The youth who 
could pull his man down at the end of the hand stick, throw 
him in a wrestle, or outstrip him in a foot race, was regarded 
as the best man in the settlement. He was greeted with a 
cheer by the old ladies, a slap on the shoulder by the men, 
and with the shy yet encouraging glances of the girls. He had 
his choice of partners in the dance, and rode home with the 
prettiest girl, generally on the same horse. AVhile the men 
were log rolling the women of the neighborhood joined in 
" quilting. " After sewing all morning, they had a good coun- 
try dinner together, and spent the afternoon in conversation. 

After the harvest of corn was gathered in the fall of the 
year, some farmer would invite the neighbors to a "corn 
shucking," that is, taking the shucks off the ears of corn. 
Generally the corn was put in two piles, and sides were chosen 
by the young men present. At a given signal each side would 
begin to vigorously husk the ears of corn in the pile. The 
side that finished first won the prize. 

All these gatherings ended in what was called a "frolic," 
that is, game^ of some kind, or dancing in which young and 
old Joined. The music was rendered by some old negro 
fiddler. Sometimes the dances were held in the morning, and 
if at night, rarely later than nine or ten o'clock. Such social 
meetings promoted the spirit of friendship, encouraged manly 
virtues, and contributed to tlie happy liome life that character- 
ized the early settlements of the State. 

One of the chief amusements of the wealthier class was fox 
hunting. Some of the rich planters kept packs of hounds, 
and they and their neighbors would often meet at daylight on 
horseback. After the fox had been scented the hounds would 



196 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

start on his track in full cry, the hnuters riding after in hot 
haste. Over ditches and fences, across fields and roads, through 
woods and meadows, the horses and dogs would go for many a 
mile until the fox was caught. Frequently women went on 
tliose chases, and they were as fearless riders as the men. The 
rider who was '' in at the death " was entitled to the trophy, 
which was the long bushy tail of the fox. 

[Some features of the early times in Georgia can be gatlicred from 
" Georgia Scenes," by Judge A. B. Longstreet ; " DukesV)orougli Tales," 
by Richard M. Johnston ; "Major Jones' Courtship." by W. ]\I. Thomp- 
son ; " Memories of Fifty YeaCrs," by William Sparks ; " The Georgians." 
by George R. Gilmer.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the tobacco road. Tell about the political meetings. What 
was the barbecue ? What was done on muster day ? What was the 
house raising ? What was log rolling ? Describe the sports upon that 
occasion. What else was done on log-rolling day ? Describe a corn 
shucking. Tlow did these social gatherings end ? Tell about the fox 
hunting. 

TOPICS. 

1. Tobacco road. o. Log rolling. 

2. Political meetings. 6. Corn shucking. 

3. Muster day. 7. Dancing. 

4. House raising. 8. Fox hunting. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



CRAWFORD, TROUP, AND CLARK. 

" Of all the old States, Georgia is the only one whose political organization is incom- 
plete : her civil policy is deranged : her military force cannot be reduced to systematic 
order and subordination : the extent of her natural resources cannot be counted : the 
great work of internal improvement is suspended, and all because Georgia is not in pos- 
session of her vacant territory,"— George M. Troup. • 




GOVERNOR JOHN CLARK. 



Up to this time and for several 
years later there Avas but one polit- 
ical party in Georgia, and that was 
the Democratic-Repnblican party 
of which Thomas Jefferson was the 
founder. Tlie party in Georgia 
had, however, divided into two local 
factions on a purely personal issue. 
One of these was led by William H. 
Crawford, who was secretary of the 
treasury in the cabinet of Monroe. 
The leader of the other party was General John Clark. They 
were prominent men and had great influence in the political 
affairs of the State. 

AVilliam H. Crawford was a lawyer and statesman of high 
ability and national reputation. He was one of the greatest 
men Georgia ever had in its history. While in the Senate he 
enjoyed the confidence and friendship of Jefferson, Madison, 
and Monroe. He was elected president of that body after the 
death of George Clinton of New York. 

When Crawford, as American Minister to France, was pre- 
sented to Na2')oleon, the latter was so struck by his firm step, 
lofty bearing, tall, manly figure, and the radiance of his clear 



198 History of Georgia. 

blue eyes, that he invohuitarily bowed twice. This was a rare 
if not unprecedented occurrence. Napoleon afterwards con- 
fessed that Crawford Avas the only man he ever saw, before 
whom he felt inclined to bow. 

AVhen Crawford was a member of tlie legislature in 180G, 
Clark preferred charges against Judge Charles Tait. Craw- 
ford voted to acquit Judge Tait of the charges, and this is 
said to have provoked the enmity of Clark. A duel was 
fought between them in Avhich Crawford was wounded in the 
wrist. They remained bitter enemies for life, and the per- 
sonal feelings between them made a party issue in Georgia. 
Governor Rabun had belonged to the Crawford party and had 
defeated Clark for governor in 1817. George M. Troup was an 
ardent admirer and supporter of Crawford, and he was made 
leader of the party on Crawford's retirement from political 
life through ill health. This party then became known as 
the Troup party, and the followers of General Clark were 
called the Clark party. The members of the latter were also 
called Clarkites, while the supporters of the other leader got 
the name of Troupers, and these two names continued in 
2^opular use for many years. 

The death of IJabun in 1810 brought on a hot contest 
between Troup and Clark as to which sliould be elected to 
the office of governor. When the legislature met in Xovem- 
ber the balloting began in great excitement, as no one knew 
the exact strength of either party. Clark was elected by a 
majority of thirteen votes. 

While Clark was governor, trouble began with the Federal 
Government regarding the removal of the Indians. The 
United States recognized the Indian tribes as owners of the 
lands on which they lived, and so the lands were never taken 
from them by force, but were always bought. AVhen the 
Indians sokl land their title was said to be "extinguished." 
It will be remembered that in 1802 the United States agreed 
to extinguish for the use of Georgia the Indian titles to all 



Crawford, Troup, and Clark. 



199 



lands lying within the limits of the State, "us soon as this 
could be done peaceably and on reasonable terms." Eighteen 




years had passed and the Indians still had some of the best 
lands in Georgia. The delay made the people impatient be- 
cause they were anxious that the State should get possession 



300 



History of Georgia. 



of all its territory. Up to this time the Creeks had ceded 
nearly ten millions of acres, but still held about the same num- 
ber. The Cherokees had ceded nearly one million acres, but 
still held nearly six millions. These unceded lands lay west 
of the Ocmulgee River and north of the Chattahoochee. 

The legislature, in December, 1819, sent a memorial and pro- 
test to the general government urging that the Indians be 
removed to lands west of the Mississippi Iliver. The United 
States made a treaty Avitli the Creeks at Indian Springs in 
January, 1831. By this treaty a ti'act of land was ceded or 
sold Ijy the Indians, and it was agreed 
that the United States might apply 
two hundred and fifty thousand dol- 
lars of the i^urchase money to com- 
pensating citizens of Georgia for cattle 
and other property taken from them 
by the Indians. 
' The territory gained included the 
remaining land between the Flint 
and Ocmulgee Rivers as far nortli as 
the Chattahoochee. It was divided 
by the legislature of 1821 into tlie 
counties of Dooly, Fayette, Henry, 
Iloustoun, and ]\Ionroe. Governor Clark advised the legis- 
lature to distribute this land by the lottery system, which was 
more likelv to do ''equal justice to the poor and rich and to 
insure a speedy population of the country." 

During the time that Clark was governor there was no truce 
between his friends and the Troup party. The contest be- 
tween them in the next campaign engaged the attention of 
the entire State. There was universal excitement over it. 
Everybody asked everyone he met: ''Are you for Troup or 
Clark ? " AVhen the legislature assembled in 1821, the absorb- 
ing question was. Who should be elected governor? The 
members were nearly evenly divided, but Clark was reelected 




/^y -' 



NICHOLAS WABE. 



QUESTIONS AND TOPICS. 201 

amid great excitement by a majority of two. The vote was, — 
Troup 72, Clark 74. This second defeat of Troup was a bitter 
disappointment to his friends, but they kept up the fight. 

The year 1820 is memorable as the period of two great ca- 
lamities in Savannah. In the early part of the year the city 
was nearly destroyed by a fire which consumed over four hun- 
dred buildings. The loss was estimated at four million dollars. 
In the fall of the year a malignant yellow fever broke out, and 
almost de^iopulated the city. 

Nicholas Ware, a prominent lawyer of Augusta, was elected 
United States Senator in 1821, to succeed Freeman AValker. 

[John Clark was the son of General Elijah Chirk of Revolutionary fame. 
He came to Georgia with his father when still a young boy. He went to 
school for a short while only. He preferred to join his father in his 
warfare against the tories. Though but a boy he did good soldier duty at 
Kettle Creek and in the siege of Augusta. He rose rapidly in popular 
favor and was made brigadier and afterwards major-general. His ani- 
mosity to Crawford was personal as well as political. He became involved 
in a quarrel with him and sent a challenge to fight a duel. On the day of 
meeting, Crawford was excited and allowed his disengaged arm to hang 
exposed to fire. The ball from Clark's pistol struck his wrist. They 
became avowed enemies, and for many years the politics of the State were 
agitated by these rival factions.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the only political party in Georgia up to this time ? How 
had the party divided, and who were the leaders ? What was the char- 
acter of Crawford ? What caused the enmity of Clark ? What names 
did the parties take ? Who was elected governor in 1819 ? What 
trouble began while Clark was governor ? What treaty was made in 
1821 ? What counties were formed out of the territory gained ? What 
was the result of the political contest in 1831 ? Describe two calami- 
ties which occurred that year. 

TOPICS. 

1. William H. Crawford. 3. Treaty at Indian Springs. 

2. Troup party and Clark party. 4. Clark reelected governor. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



ADMIXISTRATIOX OF TliOUP. 

" Fellow citizens, lot us cease our strife. Let our divisions be at an end. The march 
of Science is so steady, the progress of its illumination is so irresistible in this great and 
growing country, that the generations to come may look back upon our foibles with pity. 
Let us discard our selfishness ; therefore, let our motto be ' God and our country.' " — 
Geokge M. Tkoup. 




GOVERNOR OEORCiE M. TROIT 



In 1823 Troup was again in the field 
for governor. John Chirk had served 
two terms and was- no longer a candi- 
date, but Matthew Talbot, one of the 
leaders of the Clark party, was nomi- 
nated to oppose Troup. The contest 
was warm, party lines Avere closely 
draAvn, and party spirit was very in- 
tense. AVhen the legislature met in 
November, 1 823, their first duty was to 
choose the governor. The result was 
the election of Troup by a majority of four votes — Troup 85, 
Talbot 81. 

Troup was the last governor of Cieorgia elected by the legis- 
lature, and, as .we shall see farther on, was the first governor 
elected by the people. He was a man of ordinary height, with 
light complexion, blue eyes, and curly, saiuly hair. His car- 
riage was erect, his step slow and measured. He had the air 
of a soldier. He was very brave, and where principle was 
involved was a stranger to compromise. He once had a dis- 
pute with a neighbor about a piece of land that adjoined his 
farm, and he wrote to the overseer : "" If I have not right on 
my side, I will surrender, but not compromise." In the mat- 



Indians Refuse to Sell. 203 

ter of dress he was indifferent, and showed an odd taste by 
wearing a bhie coat with metal buttons, a bnff vest, and a fur 
cap. 

A hirge tract of valuable land west of the Flint River was 
still held by the Creek Indians. To obtain this the United 
States tried to make another treaty with the Creeks in 1823, 
but they had already ceded so much of their land that Big 
Warrior, the head of the nation, and the Alabama Creeks 
became alarmed, thinking that the design of the whites was to 
get possession of all their territory. A great council of the 
Creek nation had been held in Alabama the previous year, at 
which they determined to hold no more treaties with the whites 
for the purpose of selling lands. They said, '* We shall not 
sell to them even one foot of ground." 

The negotiations with the Creeks had aroused the fears of 
the Cherokees. Their leading chiefs, including Elijah Hicks 
and Major Ridge, went to Washington city and addressed a 
letter to the President of the United States, saying that the 
Cherokee nation had come to the .unalterable conclusion not 
to cede any more of their lands. They claimed that they had 
their own printed constitution and laws, and said they Avere an 
independent and separate State and wanted protection from 
the government. 

The United States Government then sent commissioners to 
Calhountown, who invited the Cherokees to come and listen 
to their proposal. They brought a large quantity of provi- 
sions, which they offered to give to the Indians. The Chero- 
kees, however, refused to come. Some few did at last attend, 
but in obedience to the orders of the council of their nation, 
they would not touch food offered by the commissioners nor 
come inside their tents, though it was cold and raining. 

The commissioners visited Hicks, the principal chief, and 
begged him to make a treaty with them. He heard them 
through and asked: ^^ Will you give us two dollars an acre for 
our land?" The commissioners said they would not, and he 



204 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

replied: "Very well; we know its value tiud can keep it. As 
for the claims your people have against us, we can pay them 
without selling our land." The claims referred to were for 
jiroperty of citizens of Georgia which had heen carried off by 
the Indians. Hicks spoke the voice of his nation, and it was 
plain that the Indians did not intend to sell any more land. 

In 1824, President Monroe sent a message to Congress in 
which he said : '* The Indian titles are not affected in the slight- 
est circumstance by the compact [of 1802] with Georgia, and 
there is no obligation on the United States to remove the Indians 
by force." This message provoked a letter from Governor 
Troup to the secretary of war,, protesting against the way in 
which the Georgia claims were treated. In his letter the 
governor asked : '* Is it discovered at last that Georgia has no 
claim either upon the United States or upon the Indians under 
the compact of 1802 ? Is all that a dream, a vision, a phan- 
tasm, with which the deluded people of Georgia have been 
plaguing themselves for twenty years? " 

After much discussion .Congress appointed a committee to 
look into the matter, and the committee reported that the 
United States Avere bound by their obligations to Georgia to 
take at once the necessary steps to remove the Indians beyond 
the limits of the State. When the Cherokees heard of this 
they declared that they had resolved never to yield any more of 
their lands. The situation was becoming serious. 

An act was passed in 1824 which changed the Constitution 
so as to have the governor elected directly by the people. Tlie 
act prescribed that tlie election should be held in the several 
counties on a certain day, and the returns sent, in sealed 
envelope, to the general assembly, to be opened in a joint ses- 
sion of both In-anches. The candidate having the majority of 
the whole number of votes should be declared elected. If 
no candidate should have such majority, then from the two 
having the highest number of votes, the general assembly itself 
should elect a sj:overnor. 



Administration of Troup. 205 

The first election of governor by the people took 2>hice in 
O'ctober, 1825. Troup was again a candidate. lie stood upon 
the platform of his Indian policy. The rallying cry of his 
party became ''Troup and the Treaty." His opponent was 
his old enemy, General Clark. All the old ]:)arty strife that 
had slumbered for several years broke out anew. Every argu- 
ment was used to affect the election; bitter hatreds sprang up 
even in families and among friends. All other questions were 
forgotten in the issue of this contest. The past records of 
both candidates and even of their fathers were brought into 
the campaign. The day of election came in October. There 
were sixty counties, and in each was a scene of wild conten- 
tion. The election returns were sent to Milledgeville and 
counted by the legislature which met in November. Troup 
was reelected by a majority of G82. It was found, however, 
that a majority of the members of the legislature were of the 
Clark party, and so Clark would have been elected governor 
had the old system remained. 

An interesting event of this time was the visit to Georgia of 
the famous Lafayette, who in his old age desired to again 
behold the scenes of his many triumphs during the war of the 
Revolution. Acting under a joint resolution of both branches 
of the legislature. Governor Trouj) welcomed him on his ar- 
rival in Savannah, March 19, 1825. As the great friend of 
America stepped ashore from tlie vessel in which he had 
sailed, he was cordially greeted as the guest of the State. lie 
remained a few days in Savannah, feasted, and treated with 
the highest respect. From Savannah he went to Augusta, 
and thence to Milledgeville, where he was entertained at the 
Executive mansion. 

[Governor George M. Troup was one of the most remarkable men Geor- 
gia ever produced. He was born at Mcintosh Bluff on tlie Tombigby 
River, in what was then the territory of Georgia (now Alabama), in Sep- 
tember, 1780. He was educated at Long Island, and upon graduating 
studied law in Savannah. In 1800, before he was twenty-one years of 



206 HisTour OF Georgia. 

age, he was invited to represent Chatham County in the legisLatiire. 
This he declined on account of his minority. One year later lie was 
elected a representative of that county, and he soon attained a high [)osi- 
tion in the legislature. In 1806 he was sent to Congress, and remained 
a member until 1815. He supported the administrations of Jefferson and 
Madison, and was a confidential friend of both. In 181G he was elected 
United States Senator, and held the office two years. He served a sec- 
ond term in the Senate from 1829 to 1831, and was nominated for Presi- 
dent of the United States by the States Rights Convention of Alabama, 
lie died at his home in Laurens County in April, 185G.] 

[Among the other noted men of the period was Judge John M. Dooly. 
He was born about the year 1772 in Lincoln County. In 1802 he was 
appointed Solicitor General of the Western Circuit, of which he became 
judge in 1816. In 1822 he was elected judge of the Northern Circuit, 
lie was an able and fearless judge, but his reputation was acquired 
mainly by the brilliant wit which made him famous. He was a supporter 
of the Clark party and made much sport of Troup, whose mouth, he 
said, was formed by nature to pronounce the word "Yazoo." He once 
had a quarrel with Judge Tait, who had a wooden leg. A challenge 
ensued, but he refused to fight unless Tait would agree that he should 
place one of his (Dooly's) legs in a bee gum, to make their bodies equal. 
Tait refused, and threatened to publish him in the newspapers as a 
coward, to which Dooly replied that he " would rather fill a dozen news- 
papers than one coffin." He died May, 1827.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1823 ? What did the Federal Govern- 
ment try to do with respect to the Indians in 1823 ? What did the 
Indians say ? How did the Cherokees act towards the United States 
commissioners ? What did Hicks say ? What did President Monroe say 
on the subject to Congress in 1824 ? What did Governor Troup say 
about this ? What did Congress then do ? What act was passed in 
1824 ? When did the first election for governor by the people take 
place ? Describe the election. Describe the visit of Lafayette. 

TOPICS. 

1. Troup elected governor. 4. President Monroe's message. 

2. Troubles with the Indians. 5. Governor elected by tiie people. 

3. Commissioners at Calliountown. 0. The visit of Lafjivette. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

TIIEATY OF 1825. 

"If she has forborne from motives of humanity she may deserve praise, but ouglit not 
to suffer loss."— Geouge M. Troup. 

In" the Slimmer of 1824, for the first 
and only time, a Georgia statesman 
was before the people as a candidate 
for the high office of President of the 
United States. William H. Crawford, 
as secretary of the treasury under 
Monroe, had acquired great iufluence 
in Georgia and great prestige in all the 
States. He was looked upon generally 
as Monroe's probable successor. In 
1822 he was nominated by a caucus of 
Democratic-Republican members of 
Congress as the candidate of the party for President. Up to 
that time there had never been any national conventions for 
nominating candidates, the nominations being made by a 
caucus of the members of the party in Congress. Three other 
candidates entered the field, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, 
and John Quincy Adams. They were all of the same party as 
Mr. Crawford, but their friends had refused to go into the 
caucus. Before the election Crawford was stricken with pa- 
ralysis, which unfortunate circumstance was probably the cause 
of his defeat. None of the candidates got a majority of the 
electoral votes, and so the House of Representatives was re- 
quired to elect a President. Adams was elected, and was 




WILLIAM H. CRAWFORD. 



208 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

inaiigunitetl in March, 18:35. Crawford, on account of liis 
lioaltli, retired from pn])lic life. 

Because of the unfriendly attitude of the Indians, negotia- 
tions with them for two years were of no avail. A council 
of all the Creeks, held at Broken Arrow, in Alabama, in 
December, 1824, refused to listen to any proposition from the 
government. President Monroe decided, however, to make 
another effort, and he summoned a meeting of the Creek 
chiefs at Indian Springs in February, 1825. The hostile 
Alabama Creeks did not attend. The Georgia Creeks, called 
Lower Creeks, led by William Mcintosh, did attend, and they 
resolved to ignore the others and to negotiate with the general 
government for a cession of land. They proposed to cede 
only the lands belonging to the Lower Creeks in Georgia, and 
they held, therefore, that the absence of the Alabama Creeks 
was no hindrance to negotiation. After a friendly talk, a 
treaty was concluded and signed by nearly all the chiefs 
present. 

By this treaty the Creeks ceded to the United States ^^all 
the lands within the boundaries of the present State of Georgia 
as defined by the compact of 1802." For the cession they 
were to obtain lands of •* like quality, acre for acre, westward 
of the Mississij^pi, " and tliQ time of their removal was not to 
"extend beyond the first of September of the next ytnir." 
This treaty was signed by the United States commissioners, by 
William Mcintosh, and the chiefs of the Lower Creeks. 

Wlien the terms of the treaty became known to the hostile 
Creeks, great excitement arose among them. They declared 
that, as a law had been made in the council against further 
cession of land, the treaty at Indian Springs was void. ^Ic- 
Intosli and his party were threatened Avith death, and many of 
the nation rose in arms against the signers of the treaty. 

As soon as it was ratified by the Senate of the United 
States, Governor Trouji, believing that there would be no 
serious trouble, issued a proclamation announcing the treaty at 



Murder of Mcintosh. 209 

Indian Springs, and soon afterward lie sent a letter to Mcintosh 
as the head chief of the Cowetaus, asking j)ermission to survey 
the ceded territory. Mcintosh summoned his chiefs, and 
through them permission was given to have the lands sur- 
veyed. They then, with a large number of friendly Indians, 
began to make preparations to depart for lands Avest of the 
Mississi2)pi. 

But the unfriendly Indians were determined on the death 
of the brave Mcintosh. A general council of the Creeks con- 
demned him to death, and a j^arty consisting of one hundred 
and seventy men undertook to carry out the sentence. They 
proceeded in the most cautious manner to the residence of 
Mcintosh upon the banks of the Chattahoochee River in what 
is now Carroll County. Arriving on the spot, they concealed 
themselves until the hour of three in the morning of May 1, 
1825. Procuring a quantity of pitch pine, they tied it in 
Ijundles, placed it upon the backs of three stout warriors, and 
then quietly approaching the dwelling, entered an out-house 
in the yard. Here they found an old peddler with Chilly Mc- 
intosh, the son of the general. The latter sprang to his feet, 
leaped through the window, and made his escape to the woods. 
Shots were fired after him, but with no effect. The principal 
body of Indians then surrounded the main dwelling in {lie 
dark, and guarded every way of escape. The pine was now 
kindled, and torches were applied to various parts of the house. 
The lurid light showed to the brave Mcintosh by whom he was 
attacked and the impossibility of escape. lie was the only 
occupant of the burning house except an Indian friend, who 
was shot as he tried to fly from the place. Retreating to the 
second stoiy, Mcintosh used four guns which he had in the 
house, and kept his enemies at bay. But the flames drove 
him down, and coming into an exposed position, he was 
instantly shot. He fell, pierced with bullets, and was then 
dragged by the Indians down the steps and out into the yard. 
Lying on the ground, he raised himself on one elbow-and defied 
14 



President adaiUs Interferes. 211 

his enemies. At that moment one of them phmged 11 knife np 
to the hilt into his heart, and, heaving a deep sigh, the noble 
general expired. The j^arty then plundered the burning- 
house, killed the stock, and laid the premises in ruins. Thus 
terribly did the brave Mcintosh pay penalty for his treaty with 
the government. 

■ The alarm and excitement among the whites and Indians 
over this bloody deed were very great. Governor Troup 
issued orders to the Georgia militia to be in readiness to 
march at a moment's notice into the Creek country. lie 
advised the friendly Indians to remain ([uiet until he could 
take measures for their protection. The Indians in great 
numbers abandoned their homes and flocked to the white 
settlements for safety. 

The session of the legislature called in 1825 ordered the 
ceded territory to be surveyed. When President Adams was 
informed of this he directed the governor to stop the surveys 
on account of the hostile attitude of some of the chiefs. Gov- 
ernor Troup refused, saying: " Georgia owns the soil, and has 
the right to survey it." The President threatened to arrest 
the surveyors, but Governor Troup ordered them to go on Avith 
the work. The President then proposed to refer the treaty 
to Congress for reconsideration, and the survey was stopped. 

In 1824 Senator Nicholas Ware died, and Thomas W. Cobb 
was elected to succeed him. In 1825 John M. Berrien was 
elected senator to succeed John Elliott. 

[WilUam 11. Crawford was born in Amherst County, Virginia, Febru- 
ary 24, 1772. In 1779 his father moved to South Carolina, and in 1783 
he removed to Cohimbia County. Crawford was a boy during the Revo- 
hition, and he was raised in the midst of the hard experiences of those 
trying times. After the death of liis father he began teaching school to 
su[»port liis mother. He was botli a student and an assistant of Dr. 
]\roscs Waddell. Uc next moved to Augusta and taught in tlio Rich- 
mond Academy. In 1799 he moved to Lexington and Ijogan tlie praotice 
of law, and his talent soon raised him to the head of his })rofession in the 
State. He died in 1834 at the age of sixty-two years.] 



212 History of Georgia. 

[General Mcintosh, chief of the Creek nation, was born at Cusseta. 
II is father was Captain William Mclntosii, a British officer, and undo 
of Governor George M. Troup, so that Troup and Mcintosh were first 
cousins. His mother was a Creek woman. Of his early life little is 
known. He was intelligent and brave, tall, well made, and of graceful 
manners. General Floyd and General Jackson spoke highly of his 
l)ravcry. He distinguished himself in the battle of the Horseshoe. He 
also acted bravely in the Florida campaign. He was the most reasonable 
and intelligent of the Creek chiefs with whom the State had to deal at 
this time. His violent death was a grief to the good people of the State, 
both w^hitcs and Indians.] 

[Thonuis W. Cobb was born in Columbia County, Georgia, in 1784, 
and began to practise law at Greensboro. He served in the lower house 
of Congress from December, 1817, until he was elected United States 
Senator. He resigned in 1828, and was elected judge of the Superioi 
Court. He died at Greensboro in 1830.] 

[Nicholas Ware was born in Riclimond County, and resided at Augusta, 
lie was prominent as a lawyer, and was elected United States Senator on 
the death of Freeman Walker, and reelected in 1821. He died in New 
York city, 1824. Ware County was named from him.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What Georgian statesman was candidate for the presidency of the 
United States ? By whom was he opposed ? What happened to Craw- 
ford before the election ? What was the result ? What Indian treaty 
was held in 1825 ? What was ceded ? By whom was the treaty signed V 
What was the effect on the hostile Creeks ? What did Governor Troup 
do ? Describe the death of Mcintosh. What did the legislature of 
1825 order ? Tell about the controversy between Troup and the Presi- 
dent of the United States. What new Senators were elected about this 
time ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Crawford for President. 4. Alarm among Indians. 

2. Treaty of 1825. 5. Controversy between Troup and 

3. Death of Mcintosh. Adams. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

GEOIKUA DEFIES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

" You will distinctly understand, therefore, that I feel it to be my duty to resist to the 
utmost every military attack wliich the government of the United States shall think proper 
to make on the territory, the people or the sovereignty of Georgia."— Tiioui', Letter to 
the President of the United States. 

The Federal government, wishing to pacify the Indians, 
made a treaty with thirteen Creek chiefs at Washington city 
in January, 1826. This treaty ceded to the United States 
all the Creek lands east of the Chattahoochee. A large tract, 
amounting to about three hundred thousand acres northwest 
of the Chattahoochee, which had been ceded at Indian Springs 
by the former treaty, was reconveyed to the Creeks, so that 
they Avould still continue to hold and occupy a large area of 
valuable lands in Georgia. 

The Georgia delegation in Congress protested against the 
new treaty. They claimed that the treaty at Indian S2)rings 
was valid, and that the United States had no right to make 
another. Notwithstanding tliis 2)rotest, the treaty was ratified 
by the Senate. Governor Troup wrote a letter to the Georgia 
representatives declaring that the United States were "unau- 
thorized in their action," and that he did not recognize their 
"•'^ power in the premises.'' In his subsequent dealings with 
the Creeks the governor paid no resjiect to this treaty, but acted 
as if it had never been made. 

It had been agreed that the Creeks should keep 2:>ossession of 
the ceded lands until January 1, 1827. Governor Troup, not 
recognizing the treaty, and wishing to divide the territory into 
tlistricts, ordered surveyors to survey the ceded tract. But 



214 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

the Indians resisted the survey, took away the compasses of 
the surveyors, Jind ordered them off the hinds. The Creeks 
then a]:)pealed to the Federal government. The secretary of 
war wrote to Governor Troup that the President of the United 
States felt himself ''constrained by tlie plighted faith of the 
nation to state to you that he considers an entry on the ceded 
lands as a violation of the treaty." He desired Georgia to 
desist from further survey until authorized. The governor 
replied, refusing to desist. 

After repeated complaints from the Indians, the secretary 
of war informed Governor Troup that the surveyors must 
keep off the Indian lands, and that if lie refused to stop them, 
military force would be employed. 

This threat was promptly met by Governor Troup in the 
following w^ords: ''' From the first decisive act of hostility, you 
will be considered and treated as a public enemy, and with the 
less repugnance, because you, to whom we might constitution- 
ally have appealed for our defence against invasion, are your- 
selves the invaders, and what is more, the unblushing allies 
of savages whose cause you have adopted." Major-generals 
comnumding the sixtli and seventh divisions of Georgia militia 
were ordered to hold their commands in readiness to repel any 
invasion of the territory of the State. 

Thus Georgia defied the threat of the United States. The 
crisis was reached, but happily strife was avoided. As soon as 
it w^as seen that military force w^ould be resisted by the people 
of Georgia, wiser counsels prevailed at Washington. Congress 
recommended immediate measures to acquire from the Indians 
all the lands held by them within the limits of Georgia. 

The consent of the Creek chiefs 'being obtained, a meeting 
was called at the Creek agency, where (N"ovember 15, 1827) 
the chiefs and head men ceded to the United States all the 
remaining lands they owned Avithin the chartered limits of 
Georgia. In consideration of this they were jiaid about twenty- 
eight thousand dollars. Thus eiuled the difficulty with the 



New Counties. 



215 



:''^:) 




JOHN FORSYTH. 



Creek Indians in Georgia, and shortly afterwards the tribes 
who had occupied lands in this State moved to their new home 
west of the Mississippi Eiver. Throughout the whole contro- 
versy Governor Troup had pursued 
a firm and consistent course which 
won general praise. He had in- 
sisted upon the rights of his State 
and secured them. 

The lottery system was adopted 
to distribute the lands gained by 
the treaties, and the new counties 
of Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, Lee, 
and Carroll were organized. 

John Forsyth, of Augusta, was 
the candidate of the Troup party 

in the election for governor in 1827. Troup, having served 
two terms, wished to retire from public life, and would 

not allow the use of his name. 
The Clark party proposed Dun- 
can G. Campbell, of Wilkes 
County, who was brother-in-law 
of Clark, and prominent in con- 
nection Avith the Indian treaties. 
He declined to be a candidate, 
and Matthew Talbot was put 
forward, but he died before 
the election. Forsyth was then 
elected. 

Before the election for Presi- 
dent of the United States in 
1828, the Democratic-Republican 
party had divided into two sections. One of these, keeping 
the old name, supported Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee, for 
President. The other, led by Henry Clay and Daniel Web- 
ster, took the name of National Republican, and supported 




JOHN Mcpherson berrien. 



216 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

John Quincy Adams for reelection. Adams was not popular 
in Georgia on account of liis policy in regard to the removal 
of the Indians, and so the electoral vote of the State was cast 
for Jackson, who was elected. Jackson ajipointed John 
McPherson Berrien, of Savannah, attorney-general of the 
United States. 

[John McPherson Berrien was born in New Jersey 1781. lie was 
graduated at Princeton, and was admitted to the bar of Georgia when 
eighteen. He was solicitor of the eastern district of Georgia in 1809, 
and judge of tlie same district from 1810 to 1821. He was in the United 
States Senate from 1825 to 1829, and again from 1840 to 1852. In 1829 
he presented to the Senate a "Protest" against the tariff from the 
legislature of Georgia, aud he supported it in a speech so eloquent that 
he was called the American Cicero. He was attorney-general of the 
United States from 1829 to 1831. In 1844 he was a delegate in the con- 
vention that nominated Henry Clay for President. He died in 1856.] 

[John Forsyth was born in Virginia, and came to Georgia with his 
father at four years of age. He was graduated at Princeton College in 
1799. He studied law in Augusta, and began to practice in 1802. In 
1818 he became a senator of the United States, and was sent as minister 
to the court of Spain to negotiate the treaty by which the United States 
acquired the territory of Florida. He died in Washington city in 1841.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What treaty was made in 1826 ? What lands were ceded by the In- 
dians, and what lands were given back to them ? What did Governor 
Troup think of this last treaty? What troubles now arose? What did 
Governor Troup do ? What did the Indians do ? What did the secretary 
of war write to Governor Troup ? What was his answer ? How was the 
dispute settled ? What counties were formed out of the new lands ? 
What of the contest for governor in 1827 ? What of the presidential 
election in 1828 ? What party division took place at this time ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Treaty of 1826. 4. Treaty of 1827. 

2. Troubles that arose. 5. New counties formed. 

3. Troup's defiance. 6. Forsyth elected governor. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR GILMER. 



" Blessed with peace, health and abundance — with immense resources in possession 
and greater in expectancy — what is there we can rationally desire to effect that we may 
not hope to accomplish ? "—John Forstth. 




In October, 1829, the usual election 
for governor took place. There being 
no nominating conventions in those 
days, candidates were selected by a 
caucus of the leaders of each party. 
The leaders of the Troup party, who 
had controlled the State for several 
years, divided in this election, one 
section nominating George R. Gilmer, 
of Oglethorpe County, and the other 
nominating Joel Crawford, of Early 
^•one to live in Florida, having been 
appointed keeper of the public forests of that territory by 
President Jackson in 1829. The Clark party supported Gil- 
mer, who won by a large majority. 

After the inauguration of Gilmer, the legislature elected 
John Forsyth to fill the vacancy in the United States Senate, 
caused by the promotion of Berrien to the cabinet of Presi- 
dent Jackson. Forsyth. became an ardent supporter of Jack- 
son, and leader of the administration party. He was one of 
the most eloquent men the State ever produced, and the best 
otfhand debater of his time. The same legislature elected 
George M. Troup to the United States Senate. The previous 



GEORGE K. GILMER. 



County. Clark had 



218 



History of Georgia. 



year Thomas AV. Cobb resigned his seat in the Senate, and 
Oliver II. Prince, of Macon, succeeded him. 

Meanwhile the Indians were giving trouble in Xortli 
Georgia. The Creeks had all left the State, but the Chero- 
kees still occupied lands beyond the Chattahoochee and Ches- 
tatee, in the northern part of the State, which even to this 
day is often spoken of as "Cherokee Georgia." It is said 
that the tract once belonged to the Creek Indians, and that 
the rivers and mountains all have Creek names. About fifteen 
or twenty 3^ears before this time the Creeks challenged the 
Cherokees to a game of Indian ball, and bet all these lands on 
the result. The Creeks lost the game 
and the lands. 

Many crimes were committed by 
the Indians on these lands, and the 
offenders could not be punished, be- 
ing outside the jurisdiction of the 
authorities of Georgia. To remedy 
this the legislature of 1829 passed an 
act extending the laws of the State 
over the Cherokee country, on the 
ground that it was part of Georgia, 
and should be made subject to its 
laws. Power Avas given to the courts 
of the counties lying next to the Cherokees to try all persons, 
whether Indians or white, charged with committing crimes in 
that territory. 

The Cherokees objected to this. They contended that they 
were an independent nation. They had their own laws, and 
they claimed the right, under treaties with the United States, 
to deal Avitli their own criminals. They also employed law- 
yers to defend their claim. One of their attorneys, William 
AVirt, wrote to Governor Gilmer, proposing to submit the 
matter to the Supreme Court of the United States. Gilmer 
refused, saying that the proposition was "disrespectful to the 




OLIVER II. PRINCE. 



The Gold Fever. 219 

Government of the State/' and that '^the powers conferred 
by the Constitution on the Supreme Court forbid its adjudg- 
ing in such a case." 

An occasion soon arose for enforcing the new laAv. George 
Tassels, a Cherokee, having killed another Indian within that 
part of the Clierokee territory subject to the courts of Hall 
County, was arrested by the sheriff of that county. He was 
tried in the Superior Court of the county and sentenced to be 
hanged. But his lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court of 
the United States, and Governor Gilmer was summoned by 
Chief Justice Marshall of the Supreme Court to appear and 
ansAver for the State of Georgia. 

The governor sent to the legislature, which was in session 
at the time (1830), a message stating the facts, and saying 
that "orders received from the Supreme Court for the pur- 
pose of interfering with the decisions of the courts of this 
State, in the exercise of their constitutional jurisdiction, will 
be resisted with whatever force the laws have placed at my 
command." The legislature upheld the governor, and em- 
powered him to order the authorities of Hall County to carry 
out the sentence on Tassels, who was accordingly hanged. 

Meanwhile the case had been brought up for hearing before 
the Supreme Court. But the court refused to interfere. 
This ended the opposition of the Indians, and the laws of the 
State were enforced in ^* Cherokee Georgia." 

Another reason for extending the laws over Cherokee 
Georgia was that it had become necessary to protect the inter- 
ests of the State in gold mines that had been discovered in 
that section. Gold was found first in Habersham County in 
1828. A gold fever broke out and spread among the people. 
Many whites crossed the Chattahoochee and Chestatee rivers 
and began mining. This was against the law forbidding tres- 
pass on the Indian lands. The Indians themselves also began 
digging for the precious metal. As was to be expected, quar- 
rels and strife arose among the white miners, and between 



no History of Georgia. 

them and the Indians. They would gather around the camp 
fires at night and gamble, drink, and fight. 

Governor Gilmer, after the passing of the law extending the 
jurisdiction of the State over the Indian lands, issued a proc- 
lamation, notifying the fact, but notwithstanding this, the 
trouble became so great that in 1830 he called the legislature 
together to consider the matter. Stringent laws were then 
made forbidding trespass on the Indian lands. The miners, 
however, defied the officers of the law, and the gold digging 
continued. So it was found necessary to resort to force, and 
Major Wager, an officer of the United States army, marched 
into the Cherokee country with a company of soldiers from 
Charleston and Augusta, and destroyed the camps, provisions, 
and tools of the gold diggers. They arrested many of the 
diggers themselves, escorted them to the nearest ferry, and had 
them sent across the Chattahoochee River. They also pre- 
vented the Indians from mining for gokl. 

For a number of years gold mining in the northern portion 
of Georgia was profitable, until the more valuable mines in 
California were discovered. A United States branch mint for 
the coining of gold was established in Dahlonega. This place, 
now in Lumpkin County, was once a little Indian village 
named* Tauloneca, which means yelloiv moneij. Gold used to 
be often found in the court-house square, particularly after a 
shower of rain; and the little boys would frequently pick up 
pieces of gold weighing a pennyweight. 

In spite of the law forbidding white people to settle on the 
Cherokee lands without permission, a number of persons, 
among them several missionaries, had taken up their abode 
in the tribe, and refused to leave. These missionaries were 
opposed to the removal of the Cherokees west of the !Missis- 
sippi, and they held a meeting in the Indian country and 
passed resolutions calling on the people of the United States 
to aid the Cherokees in resisting the laws of Georgia. 

The legislature then made a law that all white persons found 



Missionaries Arrested, 



^21 



in the Cherokee land after a certain time, without permission 
and without having taken an oath of allegiance to the State of 
Georgia, should be punished by imprisonment and hard labor 
for not less than four years. This did not deter the mission- 
aries, who still remained on the forbidden territory. Twelve 
of them were, therefore, arrested, tried in the Hall County 
Supreme Court in September, 1831, and convicted of illegally 




^Jf-,^^-^t^ f 



OLD MINT AT DAHXONEGA. 



residing on the Indian lands. They were all sentenced to the 
penitentiary, but, on arriving at the door of the prison, they 
were offered pardon if they would promise to obey the laws of 
the State. Ten of them consented to do this and were liber- 
ated. The other two — Samuel A. Worcester and Elizur But- 
ler — refused to accept the terms, and so they were put in the 
penitentiary, where they were detained until they apologized 
to the governor and promised to obey the laws. 

The population of the State, as shown by the census of 



222 History of Georgia. 

1830, was over half a million. Of these a little less than half 
were slaves. Under the new census Georgia wa^ entitled to 
nine representatives in Congress. 

Nearly a quarter of a million bales of cotton were shipped 
annually from Savannah. The annual exports amounted to 
four millions of dollars; the imports to four hundred thou- 
sand. Thus the State sold ten times as much as it bought. 

In 1830 the legislature chartered the Medical College of 
Georgia, situated at Augusta. It is now part of the State 
University. 

[George R. Gilmer was born in 1790 in Wilkes (now Oglethorpe) 
County. He was educated at the academy of Dr. Moses Waddell. During 
the war of 1812 he did good service in defending the frontier of Georgia 
against the attacks of the Indians. After the war he began to practice 
law, and was sent to the legislature. In 1820 and 1824 he was elected 
to Congress. He was twice governor of Georgia, and during his last 
terra in 1837 and 1838 the Indians were finally removed from the State.] 

[Oliver H. Prince was born in Connecticut in 1782. He moved to 
Washington, Wilkes County, when he was fourteen years of age. Later 
he was appointed by the legislature to lay off the county of Bibb and the 
city of Macon. In 1822 he made Bibb County his home. He was presi- 
dent of the first railroad convention in Georgia, and became deeply 
interested in the railway system. He was lost at sea in 1837.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1829 ? What trouble arose with the 
Cherokee Indians ? Wliat did the legislature do ? Tell about the case 
of Tassels. Describe tlie gold fever of 1828. What laws were passed by 
the legislature ? Where was a mint established ? Tell about the mis- 
sionaries. What was the population of Georgia in 1880 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Division of the party. 4. Tassels case. 

2. Trouble with Cherokees, 5. The gold fever. 

3. Gilmer elected governor, 6, The missionaries. 



CHAPTER XL. 

ADMINISTRATIOK OF GOVERNOR LUMPKIN. 

" He who would destroy the State sovereignty by consolidation, or the federal system 
by nullification, is a traitor to liberty and deserves the universal execration of mankind." 
—Wilson Lumpkin. 




GOVERNOR WILSON LUMPKIN. 



At the election for governor in 
the fall of 1831, Governor Gilmer 
was the candidate of the Tronp 
party. Wilson Lnmpkin of Athens 
was the candidate of the Clark 
party, and was elected. 

When the legislature met, Gov- 
ernor Lumpkin advised that the 
Indian lands of North Georgia be 
surveyed immediately. The legis- 
lature ordered the survey to be 
made, and the counties of Chero- 
kee, Cobb, Floyd, Gilmer, Murray, Paulding, and Union 
were laid out, although the Indians were still in possession of 
the land. 

The great question before the country at this time was the 
tariff. In 1828 aud in 1832 Congress passed tariff acts which 
imposed heavy taxes on certain articles imported from foreign 
countries, making them dearer than goods of the same kind 
manufactured in America. This enabled the American 
manufacturers to raise their prices, foreign competition being 
either cut olf or greatly restricted by the tax or tariff. It was 
called a protective tariff, because it was intended to protect 
home manufacturers. 



234 HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 

The Southern States were much opposed to the tariff. It 
conferred no benefit on them, for the manufacturers were all 
in the North, and, on account of the tax, the Southern people 
were obliged to pay higiier j^rices for manufactured articles. 

To oppose the tariff, meetings were held everywhere through- 
out the South. The people declared they would dress in their 
own homespun rather than buy Xorthern goods, and raise 
their own hogs and horses rather than buy from the AVest. In 
the Congress of 1828 many representatives from Georgia and 
South Carolina ajopeared dressed in homespun, which was 
woven on looms of their own States. The legislature of 
Georgia, in December, 1831, passed a resolution declaring the 
tariff '' inexpedient, oppressive, unequal, and destructive to 
the great leading interests of the South." 

The tariff was the issue in the presidential election in 1832, 
which resulted in the reelection of Andrew Jackson, the 
Democratic-Republican candidate. He was opposed by Henry 
Clay of Kentucky, the candidate of the anti-administration 
2")arty, calling itself in this election the National Eepublican 
party. Georgia cast its vote for Jackson, both the Clark 
and Troup parties supporting him, as he was opposed to the 
tariff. 

John M. Berrien, who had resigned from the cabinet of 
President Jackson, was strongly opposed to the tariff measures. 
A number of prominent men, happening to be in Athens at 
the commencement of Franklin College in 1832, met and 
passed a resolution recommending the holding of an anti-tariff 
convention in Milledgeville in November of the same year. 

In response to this call, the people of sixty-one counties of 
Georgia sent one hundred and thirty-four delegates to the con- 
vention, which met November 12, 1832. George R. Gilmer 
was made chairman. John M. Berrien was leader of the party 
opposed to the tariff. Senator John Forsyth, of Augusta, 
leader of the Jackson party in the United States Senate, and 
a delegate to the convention from Richmond County, resolved 



Anti-Tariff Convention, 235 

to defeat the object of the gathering. On the second day he 
raised a side issue by proposing the ap^iointment of a commit- 
tee '^ to examine the authority of the persons assembled as 
delegates to represent the people of their respective counties." 
He held that they had no such authority. This originated a 
discussion between Berrien and Forsyth, and the great powers 
of both were exhibited in a debate lasting three days. The 
resolution was rejected, and Forsyth, with fifty other delegates, 
withdrew from the meeting, leaving but a minority of the 
counties represented. The remaining members adopted a 
report of a committee in which the tariff acts were declared to 
be unconstitutional and void, and in which it Avas 2:)roposed to 
submit the resolutions of the convention to the judgment of 
the people at the polls. 

But the State legislature of Georgia, although opposed to 
the tariif acts, strongly disapproved of the proceedings of the 
anti-tariff convention. It advised the people "not to give 
their votes on the resolutions of the convention as therein pro- 
posed," and it condemned the doctrine of nullification as 
" neither a peaceful nor a constitutional remedy, but, on the 
contrary, as tending to civil commotion and disunion." 

The doctrine of nullification w^as that any act of Congress, 
if unconstitutional, might be declared by any State to be null 
and void within its boundaries. This doctrine was asserted 
by South Carolina, and a convention of the people of that 
State declared the tariff acts null and void within their bor- 
ders and threatened to withdraw from the Union. President 
Jackson issued a proclamation against nullification, and Con- 
gress passed an act known as the Force Bill, giving him power 
to send troops to South Carolina to force the peoi:)le to pay 
the duties. The situation was very serious. Congress, how- 
ever, passed Mr. Clay's famous Compromise Bill, which re- 
duced the tariff so that it was satisfactory to the South, and 
South Carolina rescinded the nullification ordinance. 

The tariff' question had not divided the Democratic-Eepub- 
15 



236 



History of Georgia. 



lican party of Georgia. Nullification as a remedy had found 
only a few supporters, but Jackson's proclamation and the 
passage of the Force Bill created a political revolution in the 
State. President Adams had threatened to send soldiers to 
Georgia, and Governor Troup had boldly defied him. Now 
the same threat was made against a sister State, and the old 
Troup leaders refused any longer to support President Jackson 
or his party. Berrien, Gilmer, William 11. Crawford, Dawson, 
Clayton, and a number of other Troup leaders, called a con- 
vention which met at Milledgeville, November 13, 1833, and 
organized the "State-Rights Party of Georgia." Its 
platform was the first ever issued by 
a party in Georgia. 

As the Troup wing of the Demo- 
cratic-Republican party had taken a 
new name, the supporters of the 
President, including the Clark party 
and Senator Forsyth, an original 
Troup man, remained as the Demo- 
cratic-Republican or Democratic party 
of Georgia. Later on they called 
themselves the Union ^oarty. Thus 
the Troup and Clark parties took 
new names, and the old terms '*' Troupers " and '' Clarkites " 
began to disappear. 

Before the organization of the State-Rights party (1833) 
Wilson Lumpkin was reelected governor, defeating Joel Craw- 
ford, the last candidate of the Troup party. 

In 1833 George M. Troup permanently Avithdrew from pub- 
lic life, resigning his seat in the United States Senate and 
retiring to his home in Laurens County. He was succeeded 
in the Senate by John P. King, of Augusta. 

In 1831 John Forsyth, the able champion of the adminis- 
tration party, was appointed secretary of state by Presi- 
dent Jackson, an office which he held for seven years. 




JOHN P. KING. 



GEORGIA'S Centennial. 227 

He was succeeded in the United States Senate by Alfred 
Cuthbert. 

The centennial of the first settlement of Georgia was cele- 
brated on February 13, 1833, by meetings, speeches, and 
military parades in many parts of the State. 

[Wilson Lumpkin was born in Virginia in 1783. When he was one 
year old his father moved to Georgia, and settled in what is now Ogle- 
thorpe County. After a common school education, Wilson, at fourteen 
years of age, began to copy and write letters and papers in the office of 
his father, who was clerk of the Superior Court of Oglethorpe County. 
He employed his leisure time in reading law, and when twenty-one years 
of age he was elected to the State legislature. Later he was elected to 
Congress and to the Senate of the United States,] 

[John Pendleton King was born in Kentucky, 1799. In 1815 he came 
to Georgia, and began to practise law in 1819. He resided in Augusta, 
where he acquired a large estate. He was president of the Georgia Kail- 
road for many years, and under his management the road was completed. 
He died in Augusta in 1888.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1831 ? What did the legislature do in 
regard to the Indian lands ? What question now attracted the attention 
of the country ? What was the effect of the tariff ? Who were opposed 
to it ? Who was elected President of the United States in 1832 ? Tell 
about the Anti-tariff Convention. Who led the party opposed to the 
tariff ? What did the convention do ? What did the State legislature 
do with regard to the proceedings of the convention ? Tell about the 
doctrine of nullification and the Force Bill. What party changes fol- 
lowed ? Who was elected governor in 1833 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Lumpkin elected governor. 3. Nullification doctrine. 

2. The tariff. 4. Party changes. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

REMOVAL OF THE CHEKOKEES. — CREEK WAR. 

" I believe it to be our highest political duty to ret?iin the organization of the govern- 
ment in the form which our forefathers gave it ; limiting the United States to legisla- 
tion upon general subjects specified in the Constitution, and preserving unimpaired the 
rights of the States and the people."— George R. Gilmer. 




William Schley, candidate 
of the Union party, was elected 
governor in 1835, defeating 
Charles Dougherty, the candi- 
date of the State-Rights party. 
The Cherokees had been giv- 
ing trouble ever since the survey 
of their lands began. In 1834 
a band of them broke open and 
robbed a smoke-house belong- 
ing to a white man who lived on 
the border. Eli Ilicks, a friend- 
ly Indian chief, who favored 
the removal of the Indians to lands west of the Mississippi 
River, went with only two followers in pursuit of the robbers. 
When he found their camp, he walked in among them and 
began to upbraid them for their conduct. One of them fired 
at him, and he died two days afterwards. Several other chiefs 
who were willing to move west were also shot by Indians. 
The white families along the border were, therefore, in great 
terror, and troops were stationed there to preserve the peace. 

The United States government soon saw the necessity of 
taking some active steps to remove those troublesoDie people. 



governor WILLIAM .^^CHLET. 



Removal of the Cherokee s. 229 

In December^ 1835, a treaty was made with them at New 
Echota, a place in Gordon County, not far from the town of 
Calhoun. The j)rincipal articles of this treaty were as fol- 
lows : The Cherokee nation gave up their claim to all lands 
east of the Mississippi River for the sum of five million dol- 
lars and a tract of seven million acres west of the Mississippi 
Eiver. This laud was never to be included in any other 
States. The United States agreed to protect the Cherokees 
from civil strife and foreign enemies, to convey them to their 
new homes, and maintain them for one year after their arrival. 

Before this treaty was carried out, the tribes of Creeks who 
lived in Alabama determined to join the Seminoles in the 
war which was going on in Florida. Numbers of them com- 
mitted terrible murders along the Chattahoochee River in 
1836. The appearance of these painted savages caused great 
alarm in the border settlements, and the white j^eople forsook 
their homes and fled to Columbus, Milledgeville, and Augusta. 
The Indians pursued the refugees and killed many of them. 

Governor Schley took the field in person against the 
Indians, making his headquarters at Columbus. Volunteer 
companies of soldiers were formed in all parts of the State. 
Efforts were made to capture all the Indians who tried to join 
the Seminoles. General Winfield Scott came to Columbus, 
organized the troops, and started for the Creek nation. After 
several skirmishes, many of the Creeks surrendered to General 
Scott and asked for peace. 

It was designed to remove the remainder as soon as they 
could be forced to surrender. But many defied the authority 
of the State, and continued the war. In the night of May 15, 
1836, a party of them, about three hundred in number, made 
an attack upon Roanoke, a small village on the Chattahoochee 
River, in Stewart County. The citizens were taken by sur- 
prise, many of them having retired to rest. The first warning 
was the firing of the guns and the yells of the savages. The 
men of the village rushed to arms and tried to oppose the 



230 History of Georgia. 

Indians, but they were forced to retreat, the number of the 
enemy was so large. Xine whites and three blacks were 
killed, and the rest escaped. The Indians burned the town to 
ashes. The same party of Indians attacked and burned the 
boat Georgian while lying at anchor near Roanoke. Xot a 
soul escaped except the engineer. They also attacked the 
boat Hiiperion Avhile ascending the river. Several of the crew 
were killed, and the remainder fled, leaving the vessel to the 
Indians. 

These Indians were soon after attacked by a party of white 
men under Captain Garmany and Major Jernigan. The battle 
Avas one of the most serious of the war. Captain Garmany 
killed three Indians with his own hands, but he himself was 
wounded in the thigh by another. The Indian drew a knife 
and rushed upon the brave captain, who had fallen to the 
ground. Drawing his pistol, the captain waited until his as- 
sailant was close at hand, and firing, he killed the savage just 
in time to prevent the knife from piercing his breast. The 
savages, who greatly outnumbered the whites, forced them to 
retreat, after many of the latter had been slain. Then the 
Indians marched down the banks of the Chattahoochee, burned 
several houses, and plundered the country on their way. 

They then tried to join the Seminoles in Florida. They 
marched into Baker County, murdered several families, and 
afterwards, to the number of three hundred, hid themselves 
on an island in the centre of a swamp. The militia of that 
county waited for reinforcements. When they came, the whole 
body, numbering five hundred, was put under command of 
Colonel A. A. Beall, who determined to drive the enemy from 
the swamp, where they had lain more than a week. Two 
hundred men were placed on the outskirts to prevent an 
escape. The remainder entered the swamp, wading waist-deej) 
through the water and mud, and reached the Indian camp. 
Here a battle was fought which lasted more than half an hour, 
and the Indians were driven from the island, leaving behind 



Creek Outrages. 231 

many dead warriors, together with their horses and plunder. 
Only fourteen of the Georgia troops were wounded, and but 
one killed. This defeat prevented the junction of the Creeks 
Avith the Seminoles in Florida. 

A fight took place July, 1836, at Echowanotchaway swamp 
between Major Jernigan's command and the Indians, in which 
the latter were again defeated. Another party of Indians, on 
their w^ay to Florida, w^ere attacked in Thomas County by 
Captain Sharpe, and twenty-two of them were killed and the 
rest ^\\i to flight. These defeats compelled the principal 
chiefs to abandon the war and sue for 
peace. Many of them came to the 
forts and surrendered. 

In 1837 Governor Schley was nomi- 
nated by the Union party for reelec- 
tion as governor, but he was defeated 
by George R. Gilmer, the candidate 
and leader of the State- Rights party. 
Gilmer was governor at the time the 
Indians were finally removed from the 
State. 

By the treaty (of December, 1835) 
the State of Georgia was to take possession of the Cherokee 
lands on the 24th of May, 1838. Some days before this date 
the military were called out, and General Scott put in com- 
mand. The Indians were gathered together, and in Septem- 
ber fourteen thousand started for the lands assigned them on 
the west of the Mississippi. 

While some of the events just related were engaging atten- 
tion in Georgia, there was another presidential election — 
that of 1836 — Martin Van Buren of New York being the suc- 
cessful candidate. The State-Rights party carried Georgia, 
and its vote was cast for Hugh L. White, of Tennessee. 

In 1837 John P. King resigned his seat as United States 
Senator, and Avas succeeded by ex- Governor Wilson Lumpkin. 




JAMES MOORE WAYNE. 



232 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

An important appointment made by Andrew Jackson be- 
fore the close of his term as President was tliat of Judge 
James M. Wayne, of Savannah, as associate justice of the 
United States Supreme Court. This was in January, 1835. 
Judge Wayne held the office until his death in 1867. 

[James Moore Wayne was born in Savannah in 1790. He graduated 
at Princeton, was admitted to the bar in 1810, and began to practise law 
in Savannah. He was in Congress in 1827-1835, and was an ardent sup- 
porter of President Andrew Jackson. He died in Washington city in 
1867.] 

[William Schley was born in Maryland in 1786. Tic was educated in 
the schools of Louisville and Augusta, Ga. He ])egan practising law in 
1812. In 1825 he was elected judge of the Superior Court of the Middle 
District, wliich office he held until 1828. In 1830 he was sent to the 
legislature, and in 1832 to Congress. His first message to the legislature 
strongly advocated the building of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. 
To this work he devoted all the time he could spare, and had the honor 
of signing the act authorizing the road to be built. After his term ex- 
pired he retired to his home in Richmond County, where he died at a 
ripe old age.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1835 ? Tell about Eli Hicks — what he 
did and what happened to him. What action did the United States 
government take? What were the chief articles of the treaty ? What 
action did Governor Schley take against the Indians ? Tell about the 
attack on Roanoke and on the two ships. What officers soon after 
attacked tiie Indians ? What was the result ? What did the Indians do 
in Baker County ? Describe the attack on the Indian camp in the 
swamp. Where and by whom were the Indians next defeated ? Who 
was elected governor of Georgia in 1837 ? Tell about the departure of 
the Indians. 

TOPICS. 

1. Schley elected governor. 4. Captain Garmany's exploit. 

2. Eli Hicks. 5. The battle at the swamp. 

3. Treaty with Cherokees, 6. Final departure of Indians. 



CHAPTER XLII. 



HIGHER EDUCATI0:N". 



" A disregard of moral instruction will have an inevitable tendencj^ to promote luxury 
and vice, and ultimately endanger, if it does not entirely overthrow, our present happy 
government." — David B. Mitchell. 

We have told in another chapter abont the rise and prog- 
ress of the State University. There were also many high 
schools throughout the State, and primary schools in every 
village. In January, 1833, the Bap- 
tists opened a school known as Mercer 
Institute at a place where the little vil- 
lage of Penfield, in Oglethorpe County, 
now stands. The beginnings of this 
school were very modest, for the build- 
ings consisted of only two double cabins 
with a garret to each, and these served 
for dwelling, dining-rooms, and study 
for both teachers and pupils. The 
school Parted Avith only thirty-nine 
students. The next year there were eighty, and another teacher 
was engaged. During the second and third years more build- 
ings and. better rooms were added. In 1838 the name was 
changed to Mercer University. The school had been named 
Mercer after Rev. Jesse Mercer, the leading Baptist minister 
of the State, and one of the ardent supporters of the institution. 
In 1838, also, a town was laid out around the university, and it 
was named Penfield, after Joseph Penfield, of Savannah, who 
had given twenty-five hundred dollars to aid the school in the 
beginning. Mercer University continued to improve and grow 




REV. JESSE MERCER. 



Higher Education. 



235 



in number of students and popularity. In 1871 the school 
was moved to Macon, and it remains as one of the noblest 
institutions of our State. 

In 1838 the Presbyterians established a college at Midway 
in Baldwin County. It was to be named Oglethorpe Univer- 
sity. In 1842 the number of students was one hundred and 
twenty-five. The ' studies were suspended toward the close of 
the Civil War from lack of funds. After the war several 




OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY. 



efforts were made to revive the institution, but they were not 
very successful, and in 1872 the university was closed. 

In December, 1836, the legislature granted a charter to 
Emory College, founded by the Methodists, and named after 
Bishop Emory. The college was located, and in December, 
1837, Rev. Ignatius A. Few was chosen president. The town 
of Oxford soon grew up around the institution. The Eev. 
Mr. Few was succeeded by Rev. A. B. Longstreet, who was 
president for ten years. He was followed by Rev. George F. 
Pierce, who was afterwards made bishop. The first class 



Higher Education. 



237 



graduated in 1841. From that time until the present, except 
four years, during and just after the war, the school has con- 
tinued in operation, graduating nearly a thousand young men, 
some of Avhom became famous in the history of the country. 
Attention was also given to the question of higher education 




WESLETAN COLLEGE. 



of girls. As far back as 1825 Duncan Gr. Campbell proposed a 
bill in the legislature for the education of young Avomen, and 
though the bill was not passed, he is regarded as the founder 
of the scheme of a female college. In 1835 the people of 
Macon began to think of building a school for girls. A meet- 
ing of the citizens was held in 1835, and a sum of money was 
raised, and a site chosen on a high hill overlooking the city. 



238 



History of Georgia. 




GEORGE F. PIERCE. 



The money and site were given to tiie Methodist Conference, 
and a school was bailt, which was named the Georgia Female 
College. It was opened in Jannary, 
1839, George F. Pierce being presi- 
dent. The first class graduated in 
18-iO, and since that time nearly fif- 
teen hundred young women have 
received diplomas at the institution. 
In 1843 the name was changed to 
Wesleyan Female College. ' It is the 
first college in the world chartered 
to confer degrees upon women. 

One of the notable men of the 
period was Rev. James Osgood An- 
drew, of Oxford, the first Methodist bishop from Georgia. 
He was elected bishop by the General Conference of the Meth- 
odist Church in Philadelphia in 1832. 
At that time there was only one 
Methodist Church organization for 
all the United States, but now there 
are two organizations — the Northern 
Methodist Church and the Southern. 
The division came about in this way. 
The General Conference which met 
in New York in 184-4 regarded it as 
a grave matter that Bishop Andrew 
was the owner of a few slaves, and 
it passed a resolution deposing him 

from his office unless he would sever his connection with 
what they called the "great evil." This gave offence to 
the ^lethodist Church in slave-holding States, and in 1845 they 
formed a separate organization called the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South. 




BISHOP ANDREW. 



[Jesse Mercer was born in North Carolina in 1769. He became a Bap- 
tist preacher before he was twenty years of age. So eager was lie for knowl- 



Questions and Topics. 239 

edge that he went to school two years after he married. In 1798 he was 
a member of the convention for revising the Constitution. He was once 
urged to permit his name to be presented as candidate for governor, but 
he declined. He died in 1841, and was buried at Penfield, near the first 
site of Mercer University.] 

[Ignatius Alplionso Few, LL.D., was borij in Warren County, Geor- 
gia, on the 11th of April, 1790. He practised law till the beginning of 
the War of 1812, when he entered the army and rose to the rank of colonel. 
At the close of the war he went to Augusta. It is said that he was 
inclined to infidelity or agnosticism. At his home, however, preachers 
of all denominations always met a cordial welcome. By his association 
with them his faith in Christianity became fixed, and he joined the 
Methodist Church and entered the ministry. He died in Athens, Ga., 
in 1845.] 

[James Osgood Andrew was born near Washington, Wilkes County, 
1794. His father was probably the first itinerant minister, and his mother 
one of the first converts in the Methodist Church in Georgia. Bishop 
Andrew had but meagre opportunities of attending school, so he was 
to a great degree self-educated. He entered the ministry when he was 
nineteen years of age.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who founded Mercer Institute ? After whom was it named ? What 
did it become later ? Tell about the town of Penfield. Who founded the 
Oglethorpe University ? Was it successful ? Who founded Emory Col- 
lege ? Who was its first president ? Who first introduced a bill for the 
higher education of females ? How and when was the Georgia Female 
College founded ? What is it now called ? What distinction belongs to 
it as to conferring degrees on women ? Tell about the division of the 
Methodist Church organization. 

TOPICS. 

1. Mercer University. 3. Georgia Female College. 

2. Emory College. 4. Methodist Church organization. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

OUR FIRST RAILROADS. 

" Such a State, the cherished abode of a free, enlightened, and enterprising people, is 
called to the consideration of the high duties which, in the providence of God, are de- 
volved upon her."— J. M. Berrien. 

The first passenger railroad train in tlie United States was 
run in 1830 between Washington city and Baltimore. Every- 
body then began to think of railroads. The public mind, 
however, was not fully made uji as to which mode of travel- 
ling was best, whether by railroad, by turnpikes, or by canals. 
The press of Augusta and Macon advised the people to be 
careful about trying steam cars and railroads. They advocated 
good highways, but they were not certain that railroads were 
safe or useful. At a convention at Eatonton to discuss the 
subject of transportation, it was decided not to recommend 
any particular plan nntil the matter had been more fully in- 
vestigated. However, as time went by, every one began to see 
the advantage of steam cars over stage coaches, and public 
opinion in Georgia soon strongly favored a railroad system 
for the State. The general idea was to connect Savannah and 
Macon by a railroad ; to connect Augusta with the towns of 
Athens, Madison, and Eatonton; and to build a line from the 
junction of these to the Tennessee River. 

The Georgia Railroad received its charter in 1833, and the 
road was begun from Augusta, with the plan of extension to 
some point in the interior of the State. At first the road 
was to run to Union Point, with branches to Athens, Madison, 
and Eatonton. In 1837 a portion of the road was finished, 
and cars began to run and carry passengers and freight. By 
the end of 1839 sevent3^-seven miles had been constructed, and 



Our first Railroads. 241 

the road was in operation to Greensboro. By 1840 eighty- 
eight miles were finished, and the next year the road was 
extended to Madison, and the Athens branch was completed. 
Meanwhile the construction of other roads was in progress. 
In 1834 a survey had been made between Savannah and Macon, 
and in 1836 the charter of the Central road was granted. By 
this time the people had fully realized the great importance 
and benefit of the railroad system, and when news was re- 
ceived in Macon that the charter had been granted, the city was 
illuminated, bonfires were lighted, the church bells were rung, 
cannon were fired, and public speeches were made. The build- 
ing of the road from Savannali was at once begun, and, as it 




EARLY AjyiERICAN RAILROAD TRAIN. 



advanced, the stage routes to Macon were made shorter. At 
last, in 1843, the first passenger car arrived at the temporary 
depot, two and a half miles from Macon. The road was one 
hundred and ninety miles long, and, at the time it was com- 
pleted, it was the longest railroad in the world built and 
owned by one company. The master spirit of the undertak- 
ing was AVilliam W. Gordon of Savannah, the first president. 

Another road was in process of building at this time. It 
was from Macon to Forsyth, and was first called the Monroe 
Railroad. It was chartered in 1833, and work was commenced 
in 1835. The track was completed from Macon to Forsyth 
in December, 1838, and the first passenger train run over the 
road, carrying a large number of citizens of Macon. When 
the train arrived at Forsyth it was greeted with cheers, 
speeches were made, and the visitors entertained at a banquet. 

It had at first been intended to carry the road only to For- 
16 



242 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

syth, but in 1836 the charter was amended so that the road 
might be extended to some point on the Chattahoochee River, 
to be subsequently decided uj^on. The road was afterwards 
called the Macon and Western Railroad, and it has since be- 
come a part of the Central Railroad system. 

AMiile these roads were being built from Savannah, 
Augusta, and Macon, work was begun on the road with which 
they were to connect, and which would extend through the 
Cherokee country to the Tennessee River. This road was 
chartered in 183G, and was built at the expense of the State. 
For this reason it is often called the '' State Road," though its 
proper name is the Western and Atlantic Railroad. An elevated 
location, seven miles south of the Chattahoochee River, was 
selected as the point where the new road should begiu and 
the two roads from' the south should end. In 18-45 the Georgia 
Railroad was completed to this point, which the engineers first 
called Terminus. The State authorities named it Marthas- 
ville, for a daughter of Governor Lumpkin. This name was 
subsequently changed by the State Legislature to Atlanta, and 
the city which grew up there became the centre of the rail- 
road system of the State. 

In 1840 there were six hundred and thirty-six miles of 
railroad graded in Georgia, which was more than was in any 
other State, or country of the world, at that time. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the first passenger railway train in America ? Tell about 
the convention at Eatonton. What road was first chartered ? Tell 
about the Central road. What other road was being constructed at the 
same time ? Where is the State road ? Why is it so called ? What 
was made the centre of the State system ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Railroads. 3. State road. 

2. General system in Georgia. 4. Atlanta. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



ADMINISTRATION" OF McDONALD. 




" The public faith must be maintained ; and to pause to discuss the question of pref- 
erence between taxation and dishonor, would be to cast a reflection upon the character 
of the people whose servants we are."— Charles J. McDonald. 

At the close of the year 1839 
Georgia Avas in undisturbed possession 
of all its territory. The Indians had 
left, and the northern and south- 
western parts of the State were open 
to settlers, who could now plant their 
farms and build their homes and live 
in peace. The administration of 
Charles J. McDonald as governor be- 
gan with this period. He was elected 
in 1839 as the candidate of the Union 
party. His opponent was Charles 
Dougherty, the candidate of the State-Rights party. When 
McDonald was urged, duriug the campaign, to help to secure 
his own election by making certain promises and "trades," 
lie replied, '' I have never bargained for any office, and if I do 
not get this office without conditions, I shall never reach it." 
He meant that he would make no promise to give an office or 
other reward to any person for supporting him, but that, if 
elected, he would do his duty according to the laws. 

The first subject which demanded the attention of the new 
governor was the condition of money affairs in the State. 
There was a general complaiiit of ''hard times "; money was 
scarce; credit had been abused; speculation had been wild 



GOVERNOR C. J. McDONALD. 



244 History of Georgia. 

and unsuccessful; and tbe people were burdened with debt. 
Cotton dropped to four or five cents a j)ound^ while articles 
that the planters had to buy rose in price. 

To add to the distress, the Georgia banks all stopped specie 
payments — that is, they would not pay out gold or silver, but 
only paper money. The legislature of 1839 passed a law 
forbidding banks in suspension to bring suits on notes, bonds, 
or other evidences of debt held by them, and a bill was passed 
in 1840 requiring the banks to resume specie payments or give 
up their charters. 

The presidential election of 1840 came on in the midst of 
the financial gloom which hung over the country. Martin 
Van Buren was nominated by the Democratic party for reelec- 
tion. The National Rej)ublican party, of which Henry Clay 
and Daniel Webster were the leaders, was now known as the 
Whig party, and it nominated William Henry Harrison of 
Ohio as its candidate. In Georgia the Democratic party, 
made up chiefly of the old Clark party, supported Van 
Buren, under the leadership of Forsyth, ^IcDonald, and 
Lumj^kin. The State-Rights party of Georgia, which, under 
Berrien, Gilmer, and Dawson, had carried the State, four 
years before, for Hugh L. White for President, against 
Andrew Jackson, supported Harrison and became known as 
the Whig party, although some of its leaders, as Governor 
Gilmer, never admitted being AYhigs. 

Harrison was popular as a soldier of distinguished record. 
AVhile not engaged in public affairs, he lived ujion his farm, in 
his log cabin, cultivated his orchard, and made hard cider — 
hence the campaign was known as the '' hard cider campaign." 

In August, 1840, a great Harrison convention met in Macon. 
It was the largest public meeting which up to that time had 
ever been in the State. There were not then many miles of 
railroad leading to Macon, and people came long distances on 
horseback and in carriages and Avagons. Some made log 
cabins, mounted them on wheels, and drove fifty to eighty 



Administration of McDonald. 



245 




WILLIAM C. DAWSON. 



miles, living in them while on the way. The number that 
crowded into the town was estimated at fifteen thousand, and 
many speeches were made and resolutions passed endorsing 
Harrison for President. At the elec- 
tion Harrison carried the State by 
eight thousand majority. He also 
obtained a majority of the other 
States, and was elected, but he died 
one month after his inauguration. 
He was succeeded by John Tyler of 
Virginia, who had been elected Vice- 
President. 

In 1841 Governor McDonald was 
reelected, defeating William 0. Daw- 
son, the Whig candidate. Dawson 

was an able man, and a member of Congress at that time. 
The governor, in his message to the legislature, intimated that 
he had borrowed over two and a quarter millions of dollars for 
_^ the State, and he urged them to 

j^^"^^^^^->^ pass a bill levying a tax to pay 

^jf-^ 1^' this debt as well as to meet cur- 

'^ ' " rent expenses. The legislature 

refused, and were about to adjourn 
without making any provision for 
the financial needs of the State. 
Governor McDonald then ordered 
the State treasurer not to pay any 
salaries, but to retain the money 
in the treasury to defray the ex- 
penses of the government and to 
protect the Florida frontier of the State against the Indians, 
who at this time had begun making raids into the southern 
counties. The legislators themselves could, therefore, get no 
pay, and they were very indignant. They denounced the 
governor as a tyrant, and characterized his order to the treas- 




BISHOP ELLIOTT. 



246 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

urer as a high-handed measure. The governor's friends ad- 
vised him to withdraw the order, but he refused. So the 
legislature was obliged to pass the bill recommended by him, 
and thus money was obtained for the wants of the State. 

In 1841 Georgia was made a diocese of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church, and the Rev. Stephen Elliott was elected first 
bishop. He was a man of great abilit}^ and under his fostering 
care his church prospered. 

Tlie census of the State at the end of 1840 showed a popu- 
lation of six hundred and ninety-one thousand three hundred 
and ninety-two, of whom two hundred and eighty thousand 
nine hundred and forty-four were slaves. Savannah had a 
population of twelve thousand, Augusta eight thousand, 
Macon three thousand five hundred, Columbus four thousand. 

[Charles J. McDonald was a native of South Carolina. His parents came 
to Georgia in his infancy and settled in Hancock County. He graduated 
at Columbia College, South Carolina. In 1818 he began the practice of 
law. In 1822 he was elected solicitor-general of the first circuit, and 
judge of the same circuit in 1825.] 

[William C. Dawson was born in Greene County in 1798. He grad- 
uated at Franklin College in 1816. He began the practice of law in 
Greensboro. He was a member of Congress from 1836 to 1842. In 1847 
he was elected United States Senator for Georgia for a term of six years, 
commencing 1849. Because of his elegant manners he was called ''the 
first gentleman of Georgia." He died in 1856.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1839 ? What first demanded his atten- 
tion ? Tell about the banks and the action of the legislature. Who was 
elected governor in 1842? Wliat did the new governor advise the legislature 
to do ? What did he do when the legislature refused ? What followed ? 

TOPICS. 

1. McDonald elected governor. 3. McDonald's reelection. 

2. The banks and specie payments. 4. Census of 1840. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

AimiNISTRATION^ OF GOVERNOR CRAWFORD. —SUPREM K 
COURT ORGANIZED. — ANAESTHESIA. 

" The first thing to be regarded in a republic is tlie virtue of tlie people ; the second, 
their intelligence. Both are essential to the maintenance of our free institutions ; the 
first inspires them with a disposition to do right, the second arms them with power to 
resist wrong."— Charles J. McDonald. 




GEORCiE W. CRAWFORD. 



with directions to 
Clay for President of the United 
States and John M. Berrien for 
Vice-President. The Democrats 
nominated Mark A. Cooper for gov- 
ernor, but at the election he was de- 
feated by Crawford. The legislature 
of the same year elected Walter T. 
Colquitt to succeed Alfred Cuthbert 
in the United States Senate. 

Governor Crawford's administra- 
tion devoted its attention mainly to 



The first convention of the Whig 
party met at Milledgeville on June 19, 
1843. John M. Berrien, leader of the 
Whigs ill Georgia, was made president. 
He had been elected to the United 
States Senate in 1840, to succeed Wil- 
son Lumpkin. The convention nomi- 
nated George W. Crawford as their can- 
didate for governor. They also sent ten 
delegates to the Whig convention which 
was to meet in Baltimore in May, 1844, 
vote for Henry 




WALTER T. COLQUITT. 



248 



HISTORY OF Georgia. 



the financial affairs of the State. His message to the legis- 
lature of 1844 showed that the condition of tiie banks was 
improving, and that the taxes raised were sufticient to pay 
the debts of the State as well as the expenses of the govern- 
ment. The committee appointed by the legislature to investi- 
gate the affairs of the treasury and the public debt reported 
that the gov- _^ ernor was rapid- 

ly reducing the ^^«^ debt and paying 

the interest on ^ \ tlie unpaid bonds. 

One of the 'iMf, ^^ '"^b "^^^^ important 

measures of this ,v^H& w Ife period Avas the es- 




EUGENIUS A. NESBIT. HIRAM WARNER. 

FIRST SUPREME COURT (^F GEORGIA. 

tablishment of a supreme court. In 1841 Governor Charles 
J. McDonald had recommended it, saying: '' The decisions of 
the circuit judge are final and irreversible excei^t at his will. 
His power in cases involving the life, property, and liberty of 
the citizen is absolute and appalling, and but that we have 
been so long accustomed to its exercise by a single individual, 
it would not be tolerated for a day." In 1845 the legislature 
completed the organization of the new court, electing Joseph 
Henry Jjumpkin chief justice, and Hiram AVarner and Euge- 
nius A. Nesbit associate justices. This court has jiower to 
confirm or reverse the decisions of the circuit judges. 




Anesthesia. 249 

Before 1842, whenever it was necessary to perform a surgi- 
cal operation, it could not be done without great pain to the 
patient. Consequently there were comparatively few surgi- 
cal operations prior to that year. Now there are hnndreds 
daily, with most beneficial results, and without any suffering 
to the patient. This is due to a 
Georgia man — Dr. Crawford Ware 
Long, who practised medicine the 
greater part of his life in Athens, 
Ga. 

Dr. Long was born in the town 
of Danielsville, Ga., in 1817. He 
graduated in medicine at the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania in 1839. 
After one year's study in New 
York city, he settled in Jefferson, 
Ga., eighteen miles from Athens. 

While at college in Pennsylvania he had learned of the exhilarat- 
ing effects caused by smelling the vapor of sulphuric ether. In 
Jefferson the young men of the village would frequently gather 
in the back room of a store adjoining the doctor's office to "smell 
ether." When partly under its influence, these young men 
would begin wrestling, boxing, turning somersaults, fighting, 
and making laughable speeches. During these frolics severe 
bruises, cuts, and sprains were often received by the inhalers, 
Dr. Long himself among the number. Soon the doctor 
noticed that the injuries seemed to give not the least pain 
until the persons had recovered from the influence of the 
ether. From this he inferred that with the aid of ether 
a surgical operation might be performed without pain, and 
so the great discovery was made. Dr. Long soon put his 
discovery to a practical test. One of his young friends, Mr. 
James M. Venable, had two small tumors on his neck. Know- 
ing that in his own case ether had deadened the pain of inju- 
ries received in the "frolics," the young man consented that 



350 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Dr. Long should remove the tumors if he would allow him to 
smell ether. This was done, and on March 30, 18-42, the 
first operation ever made with ether was performed, with the 
result that one of the tumors was removed without pain. On 
June G, 1842, the other was removed in the same painless 
manner. On July 3, 1842, Dr. Long amputated the toe of a 
negro boy, and on September 9, 1843, he removed a tumor 
from the head of Mary Vincent, without pain to the patients. 
The State of Georgia esteemed this discovery so valuable, 
and the discoverer so worthy of honor, that it had a portrait 
of Dr. Long painted and hung in the Capitol at Atlanta. 

[George W. Crawford was born in Columbia County, Georgia, in 
December, 1798. He graduated at Princeton in 1820, and studied law 
under Richard Henry Wilde. In 1822 he began to practise as a hiwver 
in Augusta. In 1827 he was elected attorney-general, and held that 
office until 1831. In 1843 he was elected to Congress, of which he was 
a member until elected governor.] 

[Joseph Henry Lumpkin was born in Ogletliorpe County in December, 
1799. At an early age he entered the University of Georgia, but left it 
to finish his jeducation at Princeton. He was graduated there with 
high honor. He devoted his time mostly to the law, and from an early 
age showed great ability. His health being impaired, he went to Europe 
for relaxation. During his absence he was ciiosen chief justice of the 
Supreme Court. No abler judge ever sat on the bench.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What convention met at Milledgeville in 1843? Who was elected gov- 
ernor in 1843 ? W^hat court was established in 1845 ? Who were its first 
judges ? What discovery in surgical science was made in 1842 ? Who 
was the discoverer ? Tell how he came to know about the effects of sul- 
phuric ether. What was the first operation to test the new method ? 

TOPICS. 

1. The Milledgeville convention. 3. The first Supreme Court. 

2. Crawford elected governor. 4. Dr. Long's discovery. 



CHAPTER XLYI. 

GEORGIA IX THE MEXICAA^ WAR. 
"Where Liberty dwells there is our country." — FIdcj Emhlem. 

While Texas was still part of Mexico, it was settled by 
people from the United States, and when Santa Anna, the 
^Mexican president, refused to grant them a State constitu- 
tion, they revolted, and set up a government of their own. 
Volunteer companies were organized in the United States to 
aid Texas in its revolt. A comj)any of soldiers went from 
Georgia under command of Colonel William Ward of Macon, 
and joined the regiment of Colonel Fannin of North Caro- 
lina, which was stationed at Fort Goliad in Texas.^ 

When Colonel Ward was about to leave Georgia, a lady 
of Knoxville, Crawford County, presented to his com|)any a 
flag of plain white silk, bearing a lone blue star of five points. 
On one side of the flag was the inscription " Liberty or Death " ; 
on the other side was a motto in Latin, the translation of 
which is printed at the head of this chapter. The flag was 
used by Colonel W^ard, and his men called it "The Flag of 
the Lone Star." It is said that it was afterwards adopted as 
the flag of the republic of Texas. 

W^ard and his command were sent to assist Colonel King 
in rescuing women and children at a mission church thirty 
miles from Fort Goliad. At the mission they were attacked by 
a large force of Mexicans, which they defeated, the Mexicans 
losing two hundred men, while Ward had only three wounded. 
W^ard then set out for \"ictoria. 

Meanwhile another large body of Mexicans attacked Fannin 
at Fort Goliad, and he was ordered by General Houston to 



252 History of Georgia. 

retreat to Victoria. Believing the Mexicans too cowardly to 
attack him, he set ont for Mctoria. On the march he was 
intercepted and snrrounded by the Mexican army. He re- 
pelled the attack, bat on the second day the Mexicans brought 
np their artillery, and Fannin, seeing resistance hopeless, sur- 
rendered \\\)0\\ the written condition that he and his men 
should be sent to the United States. Tliey were first taken 
back to Fort Goliad. 

When Ward reached Victoria he found himself surrounded 
by Mexicans, and he also surrendered, and was brougiit to Fort 
Goliad, where Fannin's men were confined. Next morning 
they were marched out of the fort, expecting to be sent to 
Xew Orleans, but every man was shot down in cold blood. 
Ward and Fannin among the rest. Such was the fate of 
the Georgia battalion. 

When General Houston defeated Santa Anna and the 
^[exicans iti April, 183G, a treaty of 2)eace was made by which 
Texas became free and independent. The president of the 
republic of Texas from 1838 to 1841 was ^lirabeau Lamar, 
a Georgian. In 1837 the new republic asked for admission 
into the Union of the United States, and for several years 
the "annexation of Texas" was a national question. James 
K. Polk was elected President of the United States by the 
Democrats in 1844 on the platform of favoring its admis- 
sion. Henry Clay, the AVhig candidate, opposed annexation, 
and Georgia, at the time a Whig State, was carried by the 
Democrats for Polk. But on March 1, 1845, three days before 
Polk's inauguration, Texa« was admitted by resolution of 
Congress. Trooj^s were at once sent to protect its frontier 
from the Mexicans, and soon afterwards ]\rexico declared war 
against the United States. 

George AV. Crawford was reelected governor in 184"), after 
a warm campaign, defeating A. II. McAllister. 

In May, 184G, the War Department called on Georgia for a 
regiment of infantry to serve in ^lexico. A prompt response 



GEORGIA IN THE MEXICAN WaR. 



253 




COMMODORE JOBIAH TATTNAIX. 



was given. In June ten companies from various parts of the 
State met at Columbus and formed a regiment. Henry E. 
Jackson of Savannah was chosen colonel. This regiment 
went at once to Mexico, Avhere it stayed for twelve months. 
But it had no encounter witli the 
enemy, and the only service it ren- 
dered was by details of soldiers, for 
guarding money trains and provision 
wagons. The regiment was sent to 
camp at a very unhealthy place, so 
that many of the men died. 

Other companies were formed 
throughout the State, Avhile many 
brave recruits went alone to join the 
regular United States army, and did 
valiant service. Numbers lost their 

lives in the bloody battles of the war, among whom was Colo- 
nel James Mcintosh, a hero of the War of 1812. He had 
gone into the army of the United States, had fought in the 

principal battles of the war, 
and was wounded at Palo Alto. 
After other brilliant victories 
his command reached the very 
walls of the City of Mexico, 
where he fell at the head of his 
troops. Commodore Josiah 
Tattnall of Georgia pla3^ed an 
important part in all the naval 
operations. He commanded a 
fleet known as the " Mosquito 
Division." 

GENERAL DAVID E. TWIGGS. Among othcr Gcorglans who 

distinguished themselves in 
Mexico were General W. H. T. Walker, Lieutenant William 

The legislature 




M. Gardiner, and General David E. Twiggs. 



;i")-l HISTOUY OF UKOUiilA. 

of (leorgia presented to each of tliese officers, and also to Com- 
modore Tattnall, an elegant sword in recognition of tlie 
bravery with which they had npheld tlie honor of the State. 

The Mexican AVar was brought to an end by a succession of 
brilliant victories by the Vnited States generals. General 
Scott captured the City of Mexico September. 18-47, and 
General Taylor defeated Santa Anna, gaining possession of all 
the northern province of Mexico. A treaty of peace was con- 
cluded February 2, 1848, by which the United States acquired 
the territory including California, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, 
and Texas, Mexico receiving fifteen million dollars from the 
United States. 

General Zachary Taylor of Jjouisiana, who was called '* Old 
Rough and Keady " by his soldiers, had been a hero in the 
Mexican War. He was nominated by the Whigs for President 
of the United States in 1848 and was elected. Georgia's vote 
was cast in his favor. He appointed George W. Crawford sec- 
retary of war. Walter T. Colquitt resigned his seat in the 
United States Senate in 1848, and Herschel \ . Johnson suc- 
ceeded him. 

[In 1845 the legislature provided for the cstabhshment of a school for 
deaf and dumb. In time handsome buildings were erected at Cave 
Springs, in Floyd County, where the school is located.] 

[Commodore Josiah Tattnall, son of Governor Josiah Tattnall, was 
born near Savannah in 1795. He served in the War of 1812 with dis- 
tinction. When war was declared with Mexico he was appointed to the 
command of a fleet to defend the landing of General Wintield Scott's 
army. He resigned the service of the United States and joined the Con- 
federate States navy, and was assigned to the command of the naval 
defence of the Georgia and Carolina coasts. lie died in Savannah, 1871.] 

[David E. Twiggs was born in Richmond County in 1790. He served 
throughout the War of 1812, holding various offices. He was in the 
jNIexican War under General Taylor at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. 
He was made brigadier-general, brevetted major-general for gallantry at 



256 History of Georgia. 

Monterey, and Congress presented to him a sword. In 1848 he became 
military governor of Vera Cruz. He was appointed brigadier-general 
in the service of the Confederacy, but resigned in 18C1. He died in 
September, 1863.] 

[]\Iirabeau B. Lamar was born in Louisville, Ga., 1798. He was a 
farmer and merchant until 1828, when he founded a State-Riglits jour- 
nal known as the Columbus Independent. In 1885 he went to Texas 
and joined the Revolutionary party. He became a major-general of the 
republic and secretary of war. In 18oG lie was vice-president, and from 
1838 to 1841 was president of the republic. He served during the Mexi- 
can War with distinction. He died, 1859, in Texas.] 

[Ilcnry It. Jackson, nephew of Governor James Jackson, was born 
in Athens, Ga., 1820, and graduated at Yale College in 1839. He 
began to practise law in 1840, was United States district attorney in 
1843, and a colonel of a Georgia regimeht in the Mexican War. He was 
minister to Austria in 1854, and after his return to Savannah was 
appointed associate counsel in the prosecution of the persons engaged 
in importing slaves on the "Wanderer." He was appointed major- 
general to command the Georgia forces during the war between the 
States (18G1-1865), and the Confederate Government commissioned him 
brigadier-general. During Cleveland's administration he was minister 
to Mexico.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who commanded the Georgia trooj>s that went to aid the revolt of 
Texas ? Describe the fight at the mission church. Tell about the mas- 
sacre of Fannin's men. What Georgian was president of the republic of 
Texas ? Who was elected governor in 1845 ? What call was made on 
Georgia by the War Department in 1846 ? How did Georgia respond ? 
Who commanded the regiment ? What other help did Georgia give 
in the Mexican War ? Tell about the service of Colonel Mcintosh. 
What Georgian gave important service in the navy ? How did the war 
end? What Georgian was made secretary of war in 1848 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Texas revolt. 3. ^lexican War. 

2. ^Massacre of Fannin's men. 4. Crawford secretary of war. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 




GOVERNOR GEORGE W. TOWNS. 



CONTEST OYER SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES. 

" The slaveholder can no longer look to the Constitution as the charter of liis rights." 
-Governor Towns in 1850. 

George W. Towns, of the city of 
Macon, was elected governor in 1847. 
He was tlie Democratic candidate. 
The nominee of the Whig party was 
General Duncan L. Clinch, who had 
served with distinction in the United 
States army in 1812, and had defeated 
the Seminoles in Florida in 1835. 
Governor Towns was reelected in 
1849, defeating E. Y. Hill, a Whig. 

As a result of the Mexican War 
the United States 
acquired New Mexico and Cali- 
fornia, which extended the Fed- 
eral domain to the Pacific Ocean. 
The discovery of gold in Cali- 
fornia in 1848 led to the rapid 
increase of its population, and in 
1849 the i^eople of the Territory 
applied for its admission to the 
Union as a State, with a clause in 
its constitution prohibiting slavery. 
To this the representatives of the 
Southern States objected, claiming 
that this constitution was illegal, and proposing to apply to that 
Territory the principles of the Missouri Compromise, because half 
17 




general DUNCAN L. CLINCH. 



258 History of Georgia. 

of the Territory lay south of the parallel 36° 30'. In 1820 Con- 
gress had passed the Missouri Compromise, by which slavery was 
permitted in all territory south of that line. They, moreover, 
demanded the passing of a fugitive-slave law to give them the 
protection guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. 
Congress refused to pass such a law. The Southern leaders in 
Congress then notified the Southern States that their civil 
rights were threatened, and they advised that a convention of 
the 25eople be called in each State to consider the situation. 
Accordingly, the Georgia legislature, at once, called a conven- 
tion of the people of Georgia, to meet at Milled geville in De- 
cember, 1850, and other Southern States took the same course. 

A long and bitter controversy in Congress followed, which 
ended by the passing, in separate bills, of the measures of the 
famous Omnibus Bill, introduced by Henry Clay, of Ken- 
tucky. This bill provided that California should be admitted 
without slavery; that Xew Mexico and Utah should be organ- 
ized as Territories and left to settle the question of slavery for 
themselves, and that a law should be passed for the arrest and 
return of escaped slaves. Both sides accepted the bills, and 
they were passed, and peace was restored for the time. 

These compromise bills, known as the compromise meas- 
ures of 1850, received the approval of the Georgia Congress- 
men, leading Whigs and Democrats supporting them as the 
best that could be done, the desire of all being to save the 
Union at every sacrifice except the right guaranteed by 
the Constitution of protection to their property. It was 
a Georgia statesman, Howell Cobb, who, as Speaker of 
the House of Representatives of Congress, presided over its 
stormy sessions in 1849 and 1850, with a fairness and firm- 
ness that won the praise of both sides. 

The convention of the people, which had been called before 
the passage of the compromise measures, assembled at Mill- 
edgeville, December 10, 1850. As the people generally 
accepted the compromise measures, the majority of the dele- 



The Georgia Platform. 



259 



gates favored tlie Union party. A committee "was appointed 
to draw up a report for the convention. This famous report 
was written by Charles J. Jenkins, and was known as the 
Georgia Platform. It declared Georgia attached to the 
Union ; it regretted the agitation on the slavery question, 
and insisted on the right of the States to settle the matter 
for themselves ; it avowed the willingness of the State of 
Georgia to abide by the compromise measures of Henry Clay; 
it declared the State of Georgia ought to and ivill resist any 
action of Congress that wonld disturb the safety and violate 
the rights and lionor of the slave-holding States. The 
meaning of all this Avas that Georgia would stay in the Union 
as long as it could with honor and safety to itself, for the 
people loved the Union and did not want it broken. 

November 10, 1850, the Roman 
Catholic Church made the State of 
Georgia a separate diocese and 
called it the Diocese of Savannah. 
The first bishop was the Right Rev- 
erend Francis X. Gartland, D.D. 
lie died of yellow fever while car- 
ing for the sick during the epi- 
demic of 1854 in Savannah. 

According to the census of 1850, 
the population of the State was 
nine hundred and six thousand 
one hundred and eighty-five, of 
which three hundred and eighty-four thousand six hundred 
and thirteen were slaves. 

The annual production of cotton was four hundred and 
ninety-nine thousand bales, of wheat one million bushels, of 
oats four million bushels, and of corn thirty million bushels. 
The total crops were valued at forty-seven million dollars. 
Exports had increased to nine million dollars, and imports to 
seven hundred thousand dollars. These statistics, compared 




BISHOP GARTLANU. 



200 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

with those of 1840, show a great growtli in the material wealth 
of the State. 

[George W. Towns was born in Wilkes County in 1801. His parents 
were from Virginia, A fall from his horse produced a liemorrhage from 
the lungs, the recurrence of which at times threatened his life, lie moved 
to Ahihama, and began to practise law in that State in 1824, but returned 
to Georgia in 182G, and represented Talbot County in the legislature for 
several years. In 1831 and 1836 he was elected member of Congress. In 
1839 lie resumed the practice of law and continued it until 1846, when he 
was again elected to Congress. He died in Macon in 1854.] 

[Duncan L. Clinch was born in North Carolina in April, 1788. He 
served throughout the war of 1812. In 1835, having attained the raniv 
of brigadier-general, he was placed in command of the United States 
forces then operating against the Seminole Indians in Florida. He 
closed this war by a decisive victory over the Indians under their great 
chief Osceola at the battle of Withlacoochee. Soon afterwards he retired 
from the army and devoted himself to his large planting interests in 
Camden County, Georgia. He died in Macon, Ga., November 27, 1849.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1847 and again in 1849 ? What did the 
United States acquire by the Mexican War ? What did California 
apply for ? Who objected, and why ? What did the Georgia legislature 
do ? What was the Omnibus Bill ? Did the Georgia Congressmen ap- 
prove of it ? What was done at the Milledgeville convention ? What 
was the population in 1850 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. George W. Towns. 3. The Omnibus Bill. 

2. Disputes over California. 4. The Georgia Platform. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 



POLITICAL DISTURBANCES. 




GOVERNOR HOWELL COBB. 



"Our greatest clanger is that the Union will survive the Constitution."— Robert 
Toombs. 

At the election for governor in 
1851 the Union party, which in- 
chuled the Whigs and the Union 
Democrats, nominated Howell Cobb, 
a Union Democrat, who was elected. 
He was then in the prime of 
his intellectual power. His elec- 
tion showed how strong was the 
devotion of the State to the 
Union, his opponent being the can- 
didate of the Southern Rights 

Democrats, ex-Covernor Charles J. McDonald. 

At the presidential election in 1852, many voters in Georgia 

gave a complimentary vote in favor 

of the venerable ex-Governor George 

M. Troup, but the vote of the State 

was cast for Pierce, who was elected. 

The Whig candidate. General Scott, 

failed to endorse the fugitive-slave 

law, and many Georgia Whigs re- 
fused to vote for him. This election 

broke the AVhig power in the State, 

and the party never carried it again. 
John M. Berrien, desiring to retire 

from public life, resigned his seat in robert toombs. 




202 History of Georgia, 

the United States Senate iti 1852. The governor appointed 
Robert M. Charlton for the unexpired term, and in 1853 
Eobert Toombs, one of the most brilliant men in the State, 
who had been a leading Whig, was elected to the office. He 
became very prominent by his oratory in the Senate in 
defence of the constitutional rights of the Southern people. 
At this time, however, he did not advocate secession. 

In 1853 Ilerschel Y. Johnson, candidate of the Democratic 
l^arty, was elected governor, aud he 
was reelected in 1855. 

It was soon found that the com- 
promise measures had not settled tlie 
contests between the Xorth and the 
South. The Xorthern and the West- 
ern States passed laws called personal 
liberty laws which nullified the fugi- 
tive-slave law of Congress and the 
provision of the Constitution. The 
KNoi 1. A. JOHNSON. Democrats contended that the Xorth 
had violated the Missouri Conij^romise, and in 185-1 Congress 
passed the famous Kansas-Xebraska Bill, introduced by 
Stephen A. Donglas, of Illinois. This bill gave the settlers of 
Kansas, which lies north of 3G° 30', the right to decide 
whether they should liave slavery or not. Immediately each 
party began to send settlers into the Territory in order to have 
a majority in favor of its views when a State Constitution 
should be voted on. Settlers sent out for such a purpose could 
not be expected to live together in peace, and soon a regular 
war was waged between them. 

These struggles caused great excitement, and in 1850 the 
Republican jiarty nominated (Jeneral John C. Fremont for 
President. This party in 1831, taking the name of the Liberty 
])arty, had started an agitation for the abolition of slavery. 
They nominated a candidate for President in 1810, and he 
received seven thousand votes. Four years later the same can- 




Kansas Troubles. 



263 



didate received sixty-two thousand votes. In 1848 the Lihevty 
2)arty took the name of the Free Soil party, and nominated 
ex-President Van Buren as their candidate. They did not 
favor abolition, but merely opposed any further extension of 
slavery. With the support of Northern Whigs their candidate 
received three hundred thousand votes. At the election of 
1852 their vote Avas not so great, those Whigs who had before 
supported them being now satisfied by the compromise measures 
of 1850. 

But the Kansas-Nebraska Bill revived bitter feeling among 
tlie anti-slavery men in the North, and in 1856 many Whigs 
supported tlie candidate of the Free Soil partv, which now 
became known as the Republican party. Other AVhigs joined 
the American, or ''Know Nothing," party, whose leading 
principle was opposition to foreigners being made citizens until 
after a long term of residence. In Georgia, in 1855, most of 
the Whigs went into this party, including Benjamin II. Hill. 

The candidate of the Democratic party at the presidential 
election of 1856 was James Bu- 
chanan of Pennsylvania, who was 
elected. In the campaign the exten- 
sion of slavery in the Territories was 
the only question discussed. Presi- 
dent Buchanan appointed Howell 
Cobb his secretary of the treasury. 

In 1855 the legislature elected 
Alfred Iverson, a Southern Rights 
Democrat, to succeed William C. 
Dawson in the United States Senate. 




ALFUED IVERSON. 



[Howell Cobb was born in Jefferson County, Georgia, in 1815. At 
nineteen he was graduated at the University of Georgia. In 1886 he 
was admitted to the bar and at once gave evidence of a high order of 
talents and attainments. In 1837 he was elected solicitor-general of the 
western circuit. In 1842 he was elected to Congress, and became one of 
the leading men in that body. In 1850 he was elected Speaker of the 



264 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

House of Representatives. After liis term of governor expired he 
reentered Congress, and ijecarae secretary of the treasury under Presi- 
dent Buchanan. He resigned at the beginning of the war, and threw 
all his energies into the movement for secession. He became a major- 
general in the service of the Confederate States. He died in New York, 
October, 18G8.] 

[Herschel Y. Johnson was born in Burke County in 1812. He gradu- 
ated at the university in 1834, studied law and practised in Augusta 
until 1839. In 1840 he entered politics as a Democrat, and moved to 
Milledgeville to live. He liecame a United States Senator in 1848. In 
1849 lie was elected judge of the Ocmulgee district, which office he held 
until chosen governor. In 1860 he was nominated for Yice-President on 
the ticket with Stephen A. Douglas. He opposed the secession of 
Georgia, but when the fact was accomplished threw in his lot with his 
State and was chosen to the Confederate Senate. After the war he was 
made a Senator of the United States from Georgia, but was not allowed 
to take his seat. He died in Jefferson County in 1880.] 

[Alfred Ivcrson was born in Burke County, Georgia, in 1798. He 
graduated at Princeton College in 1830 ; studied law and commenced 
practice at Columbus. He was a judge of the State Supreme Court. He 
was elected a representative in Congress, and served as United States 
Senator froin 1855 to 1801. He died at Macon, 1874.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor iu 1851 ? Who was elected governor in 
1853 and 1855 ? Tell about the Kansas-Nebraska Bill and the Free Soil 
party. What Georgian was appointed to office by President Buchanan ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Cobb elected governor. 3. Kansas-Nebraska Bill. 

3. Johnson elected governor. 4. Free Soil party. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



WAR THREATENING. 





^ 



"The Union under the Constitution knows no section, but docs know all the States."— 
Benjamin H. Hill. 

The convention of the Demo- 
cratic party in Georgia in 1857 for 
t^^^^ nominating a candidate for gov- 

yi ernor balloted for three days with- 

,_^ P out agreeing. At the end of the 

* third day a committee was ap- 

2:)ointed to select a candidate. This 
committee decided not to recom- 
mend any of the names that had 
been before the convention, but 
chose a new man — Joseph E. Brown 
— and he was nominated. The 
people of Georgia did not know 
much of him at that time. When Toombs, who was travel- 
ling in Texas with a party of friends, heard of the action of 
the convention, he asked, "Who is Joe Brown?" But 
everybody was soon to find out, for he was destined to manage 
the affairs of Georgia throughout the stormiest period of its 
history. The American, or Know Nothing, party nominated 
Benjamin H. Hill, but Brown was elected. 

At the election in 1859 Governor Brown was reelected. 
Only a few days afterwards John Brown entered .Virginia, 
and tried to arm the slaves. This aroused intense feeling in 
Georgia and all over the South. All local issues were now 
forgotten, and the only question discussed among the Southern 



GOVERNOR JOSEPH B. BROWN. 



266 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

people was how to end forever the trouhles over the protection 
of their property. 

Amid intense excitement the National Democratic Conven- 
tion met at Charleston in April, 18G0, to nominate candidates 
for President and Vice-President, and adopt a platform for the 
party. The Supreme Court of the United States had decided 
(in the Dred Scott case) that under the Constitution slaves were 
property, that they could be taken into any of the Territories 
under the control of the government, and that it Avas the duty 
of Congress to protect the owners in their property in all. the 
Territories. A bitter fight arose in the convention over a 
resolution declaring it to be the duty of Congress to protect 
j)roperty in the Territories, and the majority, made up of 
Northern delegates, voted down this resolution. AVhen the 
majority of their own 2:>arty voted against giving their property 
the protection to which the Supreme. Court had decided they 
were entitled, the delegates from six Southern States with- 
drew. The Georgia delegation retired to consult. They were 
unanimous in believing the resolution to be right, but were 
divided as to the policy of insisting upon it. Twenty-six 
of the delegates, headed by Judge Benning, withdrew. Ten 
remained, and the majority of the convention, without 
making any nomination, adjourned to meet in Baltimore in 
June. The seceding delegates called a convention to meet in 
Richmond at the same time. 

After the Georgia delegates returned home, a second 
State convention of the Democrats was called, at Avhicli 
a large majority sustained those delegates Avho had with- 
drawn from the Charleston convention. A minority, led 
by Ilerschel V. Johnson and Judge ITiram Warner, then 
organized a second convention and elected delegates to Balti- 
more. 

AVhen the convention reassembled in Baltimore, the majoi*- 
ity refused to adopt the resolution voted down at Charleston, 
and the delegates from all the Southern States, together with 



The Constitutional Union Party. 267 

a majority of the delegates from six Northern States, with- 
drew and joined the Richmond convention. 

The Baltimore convention nominated Stephen A. Douglas 
for President, and adopted a plank which declared that the 
settlers or "squatters" in a Territory should determine wdiether 
slavery should be permitted. Ilerschel V. Johnson, of Georgia, 
was afterward placed on the ticket for A'ice-President. 

The Richmond convention adopted the resolution which 
had been voted down at Charleston, and nominated John C. 
Breckenridge, of Kentucky, for President, and Joseph Lane, 
of Oregon, for Vice-President. 

The Republican party nominated Abraham Lincoln, of Illi- 
nois, for President, and Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, for Vice- 
President. Their platform opposed the extension of slavery 
in the Territories. It did not advocate the abolition of slavery 
in the States, and it even denounced John Brown's raid. 

The Whigs of Georgia, under Ben Hill, organized a Con- 
stitutional Union party and adopted a platform sustaining the 
Dred Scott decision and favoring "constitutional union." 
The leaders of the party in the United States held a national 
convention and adopted the name of the Georgia party, but 
did not adopt its platform. Without making any platform, 
they nominated Bell, of Tennessee, for President, and Everett, 
of Massachusetts, for Vice-President. 

The difference between the parties was mainly on the ques- 
tion of the extension of slavery in the Territories. No party 
advocated the direct abolition of slavery in the States. 

The result was that Lincoln and Hamlin were elected by 
a majority of electoral votes, although they failed to ,get a 
majority of the popular vote. There was no election by the 
people in Georgia. As the united vote for Bell and Douglas 
was greater than the vote cast for Breckenridge, the election 
was thrown into the legislature, which elected the Brecken- 
ridge-Lane delegates, and the vote of Georgia was cast for 
those candidates. The State-Rights leaders claimed that the 



268 History of Georgia. 

result of this election showed tliat ii sectional majority of 
States in the United States had voted against the protection 
to property which the Constitution guaranteed, because a 
majority of those States had voted against the platform which 
contained this resolution. They held that, in view of this 
fact, the only thing left for the Southern States was to with- 
draw from the Union. 

South Carolina passed an "ordinance of secession" on De- 
cember 20, 1860, withdrawing from the Union, declaring that 
the Northern States had violated the Constitution, and that 
the principles of the Republican party Avould destroy the 
rights of the States. 

This act of South Carolina. caused great excitement all over 
the South. The event was celebrated in Georgia by large 
gatherings, speeches, and torch-light processions. In Atlanta 
guns were fired at sunrise and from noon to sunset. There 
were many, however, avIio looked upon the act of South Caro- 
lina with grave fears and with sad hearts. 

When the legislature of Georgia met in 1860, Governor 
Brown intimated that seventy thousand dollars had been spent 
for arms, and advised an appropriation of one million dollars 
to defend the State against invasion. The legislature created 
the office of adjutant-general. Ten thousand troops were 
called for, and one thousand rifles and carbines ordered to be 
purchased. 

The census of 1860 showed that the population was one 
million and fifty-seven thousand two hundred and eighty-six, 
of which nearly half were slaves. The real estate and personal 
property were valued at over six hundred millions, while 
nearly two million dollars were invested in manufactures. 

[Joseph E. Brown was born in South Carolina. In his youth he worked 
liard on his father's farm, attending country schools some part of each 
year. When lie was nineteen the family moved to Georii^ia, and settled 
in Union County, at a place called Gaddistown. Young Brown used to 
drive two oxen to Dahlonega, selling wood, vegetables, and other things 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 2G9 

to aid ill supporting the family. He went to Soiitli Carolina to school, 
and his father gave him a suit of home-made clothes, and the two oxen 
to pay for his board. He borrowed the money to pay for his tuition. 
When he returned to Georgia he was twenty-two. He taught school 
until he paid back the money he had borrowed. He studied law, was 
admitted to the bar, and rose to be a judge. He was only thirty-six 
years of age when he was nominated for governor. It is said that at the 
time he was nominated he was in his field binding wheat. He died in 
Atlanta, November 30, 1894, in the seventy-third year of his age.] 

[Robert Toombs was born in Wilkes County in 1810. He studied at 
the University of Georgia, and was graduated at Union College in 1828. 
He attended law lectures at the University of Virginia, and before he 
was twenty-one years of age was admitted by special act of the legisla- 
ture to practise law. He settled in his native county and won reputation 
for brilliancy and eloquence that few lawyers ever enjoyed. He was a 
captain in the Creek War of 1836, under General Winfleld Scott. In 
1842-1843 he took an active part in politics as the leader of the State- 
Rights Whigs. He was sent to Congress as a Whig, and his speeches 
placed him at once among the most prominent and powerful debaters in 
that body. After serving eight years in the lower house, he took his seat 
in the Senate in 1853, and contributed much to the discussions that led 
finally to the secession of the Southern States. He was secretary of 
state in the Confederate cabinet, and brigadier-general of infantry in 
the Confederate army. After the war he spent some time in Europe, 
and on his return he resumed the practice of law. He died December 
15, 1885.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 1857 ? Tell about the National Demo- 
cratic convention of 1860. What did the seceders do ? What did 
South Carolina do after the presidential election of 1860 ? How was the 
intelligence of the action of South Carolina received in Georgia ? What 
did the governor intimate to the legislature of 1860, and what did he 
advise ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Brown elected governor. 3. Secession of South Carolina. 

2. National conventions of 1860. 4. Governor Brown's message. 



CHAPTER L. 



GEORGIA SECEDES. 



"We have appealed time and time again for tlicse constitutional rights. You have 
refused them. We appeal again. Restore us those rights as we had them, as your court 
adjudges them to be, just as our people have said they are ; redress these flagrant wrongs, 
seen of all men, and it will restore fraternity, and peace, and unity to all of us. Refuse 
them, and what ? We shall then ask you, ' Let us depart in p<;ace.' ''— Robeut Toombs. 

The leading men of Georgia agreed that if Mr. Lincoln 
were elected on the i:)latform which denied them protection 
for their jDroperty in tlie Territories, the people of Georgia 
should decide what the State would do. Accordingly, as soon 
as the result was known, the legislature called a State con- 
vention of delegates to he elected hy the people and instructed 
to act for them. 

The canvass for the election of delegates was very exciting. 
In nearly every county meetings were 
held, and, in a majority of these, reso- 
lutions passed in favor of secession. 
t inrt ^ ii- ^|L^ -^^^^ many able men Avere opposed to 

#?) - /^ this course. Among them Avere Iler- 

T it i,^ .^ ^^ schel Y. Johnson, Alexander II. 

Stephens, and Benjamin H. Hill. 
Howell Cobb was in favor of secession, 
and he gave up his office of secretary 
of the treasury in the cabinet of Presi- 
dent Buchanan. Thomas R. R. Cobb, 
Avho, until now, had kept out of 
politics, but who, as a citizen of jiub- 
lic spirit, was loved and respected by everybody, spoke to the 
peo})le with elo(pience in favor of separation. Ex-Governor 





ALEXANDEIi H. STEPHENS. 



Seizure of Fort Pulaski. 271 

Wilson Lumpkin, in his old age, wrote a letter urging secession. 
Kobert Toombs continued his fiery speeches in the Senate of 
the United States, and younger jioliticians entered heartily 
into the struggle. 

At a great gathering in Atlanta, while Francis S. Bartow 
was addressing the people, a telegram was handed to him 
informing him that Fort Moultrie in Charleston harbor had 
been burned by Federal troops, that the garrison had gone 
over to Fort Sumter, and that Charleston had ordered out two 
regiments of soldiers. Bartow read the despatch to the crowd, 
who became almost wild with excite- 
ment. Then he exclaimed : " You 
hear the thunder of cannon and the 
clash of sabres from South Carolina. 
Is this gallant, noble State to be left 
alone ? ' ' Loud cries of ' ' No ! Never ! 
Never! " came from every part of the 
vast assemblage. 

Governor Brown now determined to 
seize Fort Pulaski, at the mouth of the 
Savannah River, before the Federal 
authorities had time to strengthen it. 

Proceeding to Savannah, he ordered the First Regiment of 
Georgia A^olunteers, under Colonel A. R. Lawton, to seize 
the fort, which was to be held until the convention of the 
State should decide whether Georgia would remain in the 
Union or separate from it. The seizure was made on the morn- 
ing of January 3, 1861. The fort was rapidly put in order so 
as to protect the river in case of invasion. This was done while 
Georgia was still in the Union. 

Meanwhile Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama also with- 
drew from the Union. The eyes of the country w^ere then 
turned toward Georgia. If Georgia seceded, there was no 
longer any hope of winning back those States. The conven- 
tion met January IG, 1861. The president was George AV. 




272 HISTORY OF Georgia. 

Crawford, wlio had been governor in 1843. Among the dele- 
gates were the ablest men in the State. Some were for seces- 
sion and some were against it. A resolution was introduced 
by Eugenius A. Nesbit in favor of secession. This brought 
the issue before the convention, and the battle of giant minds 
began. The speeches were eloquent. Judge E. A. Nesbit, 
T, E. R. Cobb, Robert Toombs, and Francis Bartow advocated 
secession. Ilerschel V. Johnson, Alexander Stephens, and 
Benjamin Hill opposed it, and urged cooperation by the fifteen 
Southern States in securing constitutional guarantees for the 
protection of their property in the Union. Cobb replied, 
"We can make better terms out of the Union than in it." 
After three days a final test vote was taken, and stood one 
hundred and sixty-four for secession to one hundred and 
thirty-three for cooperation. At two o'clock on January 19, 
18G1, an ordinance of secession, written by Judge Nesbit, was 
adopted by a vote of two hundred and eight to eighty-nine. 

After the vote was taken the president of the convention 
arose and, by virtue of his authority, declared that the State 
of Georgia was now a free and independent republic. The 
announcement was greeted by a dignified applause from the 
members of the convention, but when the people outside heard 
the result they rent the air with cheers. Cannon were fired, 
bells rung, and bonfires lighted. 

The members of the convention met some days afterwards 
and signed their names to the ordinance in presence of the 
governor. Then the great seal of the State was attached, and 
Georgia formally declared herself a free and independent 
republic. The flag of the Union was taken down from the 
capitol building and the State flag of Georgia raised in its 
place. The news Avas telegraphed over the State. Meetings 
were held and fiery speeches made. The towns and cities 
Avere illuminated, bonfires were kindled, and torch-light pro- 
cessions paraded the streets. Com]-)anies of soldiers were rap- 
idly formed everywhere. The farmer left his field, the mer- 



The Arsenal at Augusta. 273 

chant his store, the lawyer his office, to talk ahout the crisis 
and prepare for war if the United States government shonld 
send an army to conquer them and to force them hack into 
the Union. Now that the State had seceded, tliere was no 
longer any division of sentiment. Those who had opposed 
secession, such men as Stephens and Hill, felt that their 
loyalty was to their State, and, as true patriots, followed its 
fortunes for better or for worse. 

Governor Brown next decided to seize the Federal arsenal 
at Augusta, over which tlie United States flag still floated. 
The garrison was at the time commanded by Captain Arnold 
Elzey, who had eighty soldiers. Governor Brown went to 
Augusta and sent an order to that officer to surrender his post 
to the State authorities. Captain Elzey refused, and he tele- 
graphed to headquarters in Washington city for instructions. 
Secretary Holt replied that he must hold his joost until forced 
by '^ violence or starvation" to surrender. Eight hundred 
troops had assembled in Augusta for the purpose of seizing 
the arsenal. Captain Elzey asked for an interview with Gov- 
ernor Brown, who, with his staff, rode to the arsenal, and 
terms of surrender were agreed upon. The United States 
flag was lowered and saluted with thirty-three guns, and the 
Georgia flag, which consisted of a white field, with a single 
red star in the centre, was raised over the arsenal. Captain 
Elzey surrendered because resistance was useless. 

As soon as the news of the secession of Georgia reached 
Washington city, all the State's representatives in Congress 
withdrew, except Joshua Hill, who resigned. 

[Benjamin Harvey Hill was born in Jasper County in 1832. He began 
to practise law in La Grange. In 1851 he was elected to the legislature, 
and was at once recognized as a leader of the Whig party. In 1856 he 
was nominated elector on the American, or Know Nothing, ticket, and by 
his speeches in support of Millard Filmore won a reputation as an orator 
of great power. In 1860 he was on the Bell and Everett electoral ticket. 
He was a member of the secession convention of Georgia in 1861, and 
made a speech against secession. He was a member of the Confederate 
18 



274 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Senate during the entire war and was imprisoned in Fort Lafayette after 
the surrender. In 1873 he was elected to Congress, and in 1877 to the 
United States Senate. He died August 16, 1882.] 

[Alexander Hamilton Stephens was born in Georgia on February 11, 
1813. He went to the schools neav his home at Crawfordville, and 
studied so hard that in a few years he was ready for college. He was 
too poor to pay for his tuition, and borrowed the money to carry him 
through the university. He began to study law, and soon became noted 
for his great ability. In person he was of small size, and was often 
called "little Aleck." lie was one of the great men of Georgia; brave, 
brilliant, and a devoted lover of tlie rights of the Southern States. Like 
many other true Georgians, he was not in favor of leaving the Union at 
the time, but when the State decided to withdraw he gave the Confed- 
eracy hearty support. He died in 1883, while governor of the State.] 

[Following are opinions of some leading statesmen on the right of 
Southern States to secede : 

"If the Northern States refuse wilfully and deliberately to carry into 
effect that part of the Constitution which respects the restoration of fugi- 
tive slaves, and Congress provide no remedy, the South would no longer 
be bound to observe the compact. A bargain cannot be broken on one 
side and still bind the other side." — Daniel Webster. 

"If the Cotton States shall decide that they can do better out of the 
Union, we insist on letting them go in peace. The right to secede may 
be a revolutionary one, but it exists nevertheless." — Horace Greeley. 

"If a State should withdraw and resume her powers, I know of no 
remedy to prevent it." — Chief Justice Chase.'] 

QUESTIONS. 

What did Governor Brown advise in his message of 1860 ? Name 
some public men of Georgia who were against secession. Tell what hap- 
pened at a great meeting in Atlanta. Tell about the convention of 1861. 
Who wrote the secession ordinance ? How was the news of the result 
received by the people ? Tell about the seizure of the arsenal at Augusta. 
What did Georgia's representatives in Congress do when they heard of 
the secession ordinance ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Secession feeling in Georgia. 4. Seizure of Augusta arsenal. 

2. Seizure of Fort Pulaski. 5. Withdrawal from Congress of 

3. Convention of 1861. Georgia's representatives. 



EPOCH VI. 

Georgia in the Confederate States. 

. CIIAPTEK LI. 



THE beginni:n'(i of the war. 

" I am afraiil of nothing on eaitli, or above the earth, or under the earth, except to do 
\vronj:j. The path of duty I shall ever endeavor to travel, fearing no evil and dreading 
no consequences.'"— Alexandeu II. Stephens. 



A CONVENTION of the seced- 
ing States was held in Mont- 
gomery, Ala., in February, 
18G1. Howell Cobb was made 
president of the convention. 
It was resolved to form a con- 
federacy, to be called the Con- 
federate States of America. 
A constitution Avas adopted, 
modelled upon that of the 
United States, and submitted 
to the States for ratification. 
Jefferson Davis of Mississippi 
was chosen President, and Alex- 
ander II. Stephens of Georgia 
Vice-president. Robert 1'oombs 
was made secretary of state in 
the first cabinet. It was hoped 
that this new government which 
the people had organized might 
exist in peace. The Confederate 




276 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

government appointed three commissioners, called peace com- 
missioners, of whom Martin J. Crawford of Georgia was one. 
These commissioners went to Washington city, bnt the Presi- 
dent refused to see or receive them except as private citizens. 

The convention of Georgia met again in Savannah, March, 
1861, and at the meeting the Constitution of the Confederate 
States was adopted, and a new State Constitution framed to 
accord with it. Georgia thus for a second time gave up its 
right to be an independent republic, and entered into com- 
pact with sister States for the purpose of government and 
protection. Military measures were adopted to strengthen 
the State and prepare it to meet any attack that might be 
made upon it by the United States. The governor organized 
two regiments so as to be ready for any call for soldiers, and 
for the defence of the coast he ordered a number of cannon of 
long range and large calibre, and procured several gunboats. 
He also took possession of the United States mint at Dahlonega 
with twenty thousand dollars in gold coin. A^olunteer com- 
panies were formed in nearly every county, and the men were 
drilled with their old shotguns and rifles. 

Acting under a settled principle of international law, the 
seceded States had by this time taken and garrisoned all the 
forts and arsenals within their limits except Fort Sumter in 
South Carolina and Fort Pickens in Florida. Men were 
needed to guard against attack from these forts, and President 
Davis asked Governor Brown for a regiment of soldiers to go 
to Fort Pickens in Florida. So ardent was the feeling that 
over two bunded and fifty companies offered their services. 

Exciting events now followed in rapid succession. In 
April, 1861, Fort Sumter, at Charleston, S. C, was sur- 
rendered to the Southern army after a heavy bombardment. 
Two days afterwards President Lincoln called for seventy-five 
thousand volunteers. Virginia, Tennessee, Xortli Carolina, 
and Arkansas refused to furnish troops to coerce the seceding 
States, and now left the Union and joined the Confederate 



Death of General Bartow. 277 

States. This made eleven in all. Norfolk, Va., was thought 
to be ill danger, and President Davis telegraphed to Governor 
Brown for troops. The governor sent a message to the 
volunteer companies in Macon, Griffin, and Columbus, asking 
if they would like to go, and in twenty-four hours a battalion 
started for Norfolk. It is said they were the first to arrive. 

In May the Confederate capital was moved from Mont- 
gomery to Richmond, Ya., and volunteers were called to 
defend Virginia against invasion. Every demand that came 
to Georgia for soldiers was promptly and eagerly responded to. 
A Savannah company wrote a letter pleading to be sent to 
Virginia, "where there is a j^rospect of a fight." The first 
battle of Manassas was fought July 21, 1861, in which the 
Federal army under McDowell was defeated. General Fran- 
cis S. Bartow of Savannah commanded a brigade of Georgia 
regiments in this battle. When about to set out for Virginia 
with his troops, he said, '^ / ^o to illustrate Georgia,''^ and 
he did. At Manassas the colors of the Georgia contingent 
being in danger of falling from the grasp of the wounded 
bearer, Bartow seized them, and, leading a gallant charge, 
fell in the thickest of the fight. 

Preparations for war were going on all over the South, but 
nowhere with more activity than in Georgia. Troops were 
organized into companies, drilled, and held in readiness. 
Fort Pulaski was equipped at an expense of eighty thousand 
doDars, and three war steamers were bought. Two brigades of 
State troops were organized under Brigadier-Generals George 
P. Harrison, Sr., and F. W. Capers. By "running the 
blockade" the State had secured thirteen thousand Enfield 
rifles and five hundred sabres, but these were not enough. 
Governor Brown urged the people to send their rifles and 
shotguns for temporary use by the State troops. In addition 
to the State troops, the Confederate government placed A. R. 
Lawton, wlio had been appointed brigadier-general, in com- 
mand of Confederate troops, and Commodore Josiah Tatt- 



278 History of Georgia. 

nail in command of the naval forces for the defence of 
Georgia. 

Eobert Toombs left the cabinet of Mr. Davis and joined 
the army as a brigadier-general. Howell Cobb, Henry R. 
Jackson, W. H. T.Walker, Hugh AV. Mercer, James Longstreet, 
Ambrose E. Wright, Lafayette McLaws, D. R. Jones, and Wil- 
liam Montgomery Gardner were also appointed brigadier- 
generals. David E. Twiggs and W. J. Hardee, both Georgians, 
had been commissioned major-generals, but General Tvvig*gs 
was forced by ill health to resign. General Henry K. Jackson 
won a brilliant victory in West Virginia in October. 

In the midst of these exciting events the time came around 
in the fall of 1861 for an election for governor. The friends 
of Governor Brown urged him to run for the third term, and 
he agreed to do so. His opponent was Judge Eugenius A. 
Nesbit. Brown was reelected. His message to the legisla- 
ture of 18G1 showed that Georgia had sent nearly fifty regi- 
ments into the field, and had supplied the equipments for 
thirty of them. An appropriation of five million dollars was 
made to equip State troops and defend the coast. Benjamin 
H. Hill and Robert Toombs were elected as Confederate State 
Senators. Toombs preferred to stay in the army, and Governor 
Brown appointed Dr. John W. Lewis to fill the vacancy. 

Up to this time the great seal of the State was that which 
had been adopted in 1799. The secession convention of 1861 
directed that there should be a new one, and the legislature of 
1861 appointed a committee to make the change. The new seal 
was a slight modification of the seal of 1799. In the sunburst 
under the arch was " 1861," and underneath was '' 1776." 

Toward the close of the year the Federal warships had 
nearly blockaded the coasts of Georgia. Trading vessels could 
not bring in sup])lies of food and clothing, and the i)eople 
were cut oif from the use of Northern and European goods. 
Everybody therefore had to look to home enterprise. Old 
cards and looms were got out, and cotton was made into cloth 





Geor,giaGeNe:f(aLs 

CoMMissioNco By 

Thc CoA/r£DE rate States 
/^ /86/. 



Maj.Gen.DavisR.Jone 




Brig.Gen.W.MontgomeryGardner 



Brig.Gen.HughW.Merc£:r. 



280 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

for family use and for the army. Coffee and tea became rare. 
Since there was no market now for cotton, the farmers began 
to raise grain and meat for their own use and for feeding the 
troops. Salt becoming scarce, the stock on hand was soon 
exhausted. The salt fields of Virginia were used, then sea- 
water was evaporated, and finally the 2:)eople had to dig up the 
floors of their old smoke-houses, where salt meat had been 
kept, and boil the dirt to get what salt it contained. This 
salt famine continued during the four years of the war. 

[General Williaiu Joseph Hardee was born in Savannah in 1818. He 
was graduated at the United States ^Military Academy in I808, and after- 
wards at St. Maur, France. While tliere he was attached to the cavalry 
department of the French army. He served with General Taylor in the 
war with Mexico. Afterwards he was commander of cadets at West 
Point, and wrote " Hardee's Tactics, or the United States Kifie and Light 
Infantry Tactics."] 

[Alexander R. Lawton was born in Beaufort, S. C. , in 1818. He 
was graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1839. After 
serving in the army a short while, he studied law, and began to practise 
law in Savannah. In 1861 he became brigadier-general in the Confed- 
erate army. He was wounded at Antietam, and after his recovery served 
as quartermaster-general. In 1885 he was appointed United States min- 
ister to Russia, and afterwards to Austria.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell about the convention in Montgomery in 1861 ? What meeting 
took place in Savannah in March, 1861? What did the convention do ? 
How many Georgia companies offered their services for the war ? What 
Georgia general commanded a brigade at the first battle of Manassas ? 
Tell about his heroic action in defence of the colors. Name other 
Georgians who held military command at this time. Who was elected 
governor in 1861 ? What did the governor's message to the legislature 
show with regard to military affairs ? Describe the results to Georgia of 
the blockade of the coast. 

TOPICS. 

1. Georgia convention. 3. Reelection of Brown. 

2. Georgia's war action. 4. Blockade of the coast. 



CHAPTEK LII. 



PROGRESS OF THE AVAR. 



" Savannah shall never be surrendered, but defended street by street and house by 
house, until, if taken, the victors' spoils shall be alone a heap of ashes." — Resolution of 
Ge7}eral Assembly. 

Early in 1862 active 02)erations were begun by the Federal 
fleet along our seacoast. Henry E. Jackson resigned from the 
Confederate army and was appointed major-general to com- 
mand the State troops on the coast. Hugh W. Mercer was 
in command of the regular Confederate troops at Savan- 
nah, while General Lawton was still in command of the 
department. 

In February a number of Federal war-vessels appeared on 
the coast, forced their way up the Savannah liiver, and erected 
batteries on Tybee Island, in order to attack Fort Pulaski. 
On the 10th of April -the Federal commander sent word to 
Colonel Charles Olmstead, the officer in command of the fort, 
to surrender. He replied : " I am here to defend the fort, not 
to surrender it." The batteries then began to fire. On the 
second day the flag was cut down by a cannon-ball and fell 
inside the fort. Two of the soldiers quickly caught it, and, 
leaping upon the parapet, in face of a deadly fire, carried the 
flag to another angle of the fort, and tied it securely to a staff 
fixed in a gun carriage. The fire of the batteries made an 
opening in the walls of the fort in two days, and the garrison 
was forced to surrender. 

A bold attempt was made in April, 1802, by a party of Fed- 
eral spies to carry off an engine and several cars on the State 
road. Twenty-two of these men boarded the train at a place 



283 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

called Big Shanty, where a stop had been made for breakfast, 
and, detaching the engine and some of the cars, started for 
Chattanooga. Their plan Avas to steal the engine, tear np the 
track, burn bridges, and do as much damage as possible. The 
conductor, Captain AV. A. Fuller, and the engineer, who had 
left the train for breakfast, saw the capture and went in pur- 
suit on a hand-car. Soon an engine Avas obtained, and, after 
a long chase, the fugitives were overtaken at Kingold, their 
steam being exhausted. AYlien diey saw that they were about 
to be captured, they abandoned the engine and fled into the 
woods. But all were caught, and eight, wlio were volunteers, 
Avere tried and hanged as spies, the others being held as pris- 
oners of Avar. 

An act known as the Conscript La^^• Avas passed by the Con- 
federate Congress in April, 18G2. It required all able-bodied 
men betAveen the ages of eighteen and thirty-five to enter the 
army. Goverjior Brown o^iposed the Conscript LaAv, holding 
that it Avas not constitutional or necessary, and he and Presi- 
dent Davis had a long correspondence on the subject. As 
soon as the governor Avas notified of the passing of the act, he 
turned the State troops o\'er to the Confederate army. Tliose 
regiments were rapidly transferred to the armies of Lee and 
Bragg, and they served in all the great battles in Virginia and 
the West. General A. li. Lawton returned to Virginia, and 
AA^as placed in command of one of the Georgia brigades. 

The legislature of 1862 had many grave problems before it. 
Nearly three-fourths of the able-bodied male population of 
Georgia Avere fighting in other States for the Confederate 
cause, and Avere in need of food and clothing. The seacoast 
of the State Avas threatened by the enemy, and distress and 
Avant Avere everywhere among the people. To encourage the 
raising of grain and meat, a law was made forbidding the rais- 
ing of cotton beyond three acres to each field hand. The dis- 
tillation of corn into whiskey Avas forbidden. The governor 
Avas requested to buy salt for sale to the people at cost price. 



^8-i HisTOBY OF Georgia. 

It was ordered that clothing should be bought for the troops, 
and the families of dead and disabled soldiers were provided 
for. Altogether six million dollars were appropriated. Iler- 
schel V. Johnson was elected to the Confederate Senate. 

Many Georgia brigades were present in Virginia and bore 
their part in the great battles of the year 1862. They were 
commanded by Generals G. T. Anderson (known as '' Tige " 
Anderson), George Doles, Paul J. Semmes, W. D. Smith, 
Ambrose K. Wright, Edward L. Thomas, A. II. Colquitt, 
Howell Cobb, T. E. R. Cobb, A. R. Lawton, Robert Toombs, 
and Alfred Iverson, Jr. McLaws and David R. Jones were 
major-generals and Longstreet a lieutenant-general in Lee's 
army. Hardee was a lieutenant-general in the West. 

At Fredericksburg, Cobb's brigade strongly posted on the 
hillside, bore the brunt of the battle, winning undying fame. 
Six times in succession the Federal troops, massed on their 
front, gallantly charged up the hill, only to be mowed down 
and driven back by the deadly fire. The repulse Avas com- 
j^lete, but at the end of the fourth charge General T. R. R. 
Cobb, the heroic commander of the Georgians, fell mortally 
wounded. His death cast a gloom over the whole army. 

On Xew Year's day, 1803, President Lincoln issued the 
" Emancipation Proclamation," but the negroes did not leave 
their former masters. They were content to remain on the 
farms, to protect the women and children, and to take care of 
their old masters' homes. 

Fort ^[cAllister, at the mouth of the Ogeechee River, was 
attacked in March, 1863, by a fleet of seven Federal gunboats. It 
was a simple earthwork with sand parapets, but it was defended 
by brave men. The bombardment was kept w]) for eight 
hours, and the guns of the fort replied so well that the fleet 
was driven away, crippled and defeated. In recognition of 
this gallant fight, the garrison was authorized by special 
order to inscribe on the flag of the fort khe date, " March 3, 
1803." 



Streights Maid. 



285 










FORT MCALLISTER. 



Colonel Streiglit, with a band of eighteen hundred Federal 
cavalry^ made a raid into Georgia in April, 1863. General 
Forrest pursued 
him with only six 
hundred Confed- 
erate troops, and 
overtook him near 
the city of Eome, 
Avhere a battle took 
place. Forrest suc- 
ceeded by a strat- 
agem in deceiving the Federals as to his real strength. While 
the fight was in progress he sent an officer under a flag of 
truce to demand an immediate surrender. Streight wanted 
time to consider, but Forrest Avould not wait, and he made a 
show of despatching orders to unseen batteries and soldiers 
to 2^i'epare for battle. '' Within ten minutes," said he, "the 
signal gun shall be fired and the truce will end." This so 
alarmed the Federal officer that he surrendered at once, though 
he had three times as many men as Forrest. 

June 23d the Confederate ram Atlanta was captured by two 
monitors in Warsaw Sound. 

^ #^^ ^; , , .. . 




FIGHT BETWEEN RAM "ATLANTA" AND MONITOR. 

In July, 1863, the governor called for eight thousand State 
troops as a home guard, and eighteen thousand were ready in 
answer to the call. This body was organized, under Major- 



286 History of Georgia. 

General Howell Cobb, for home protection. As there were no 
guns for some of the soldiers, Governor Brown proposed to 
supply each man with a staff eight or ten feet long, having a 
sharp steel head like a lance. They were called Joe Brown's 
pilces. Tliey were intended for hand-to-hand fighting, but 
the soldiers found them of little use. 

The year 1863 had been disastrous to the Southern armies 
both in the AVest ai^l in Virginia. In Virginia, John B. Gor- 
don, Henry L. Benning, William T. AVofford, and Goode Bryan 
had been promoted to command Georgia brigades, and Georgia 
regiments followed Lee through all the battles of that year. 
At Gettysburg, Brigadier-General Paul J. Semmes was mortally 
wounded. In the West, where Generals W. H. T. AValker 
and Alfred Cummings commanded Georgia brigades, Vicksburg 
and Port Hudson had fallen, the Mississippi River had been 
opened, and the Confederacy cut in two. The Federal forces 
were then concentrated at Chattanooga. The battle of Chicka- 
mauga was our only important victory of the year. In that 
battle John K. Jackson, M. A. Stovall, C. C. Wilson, and 
Henry L. Benning commanded* brigades of Georgia troops. 
Joseph W^heeler and W. II. T. Walker were there as major-gen- 
erals commanding divisions. General James Deshler, a gallant 
Georgian, and Colonel Peyton H. Colquitt, were killed. 

QUESTIONS. 

What operations were l)egiin in 18G2 ? What of the attack on Fort 
Pulaski? Describe the attempt to steal an engine. What of the Conscript 
Law ? What problems did the legislature of 18G3 have to face ? What 
was the war fund ? What of Fredericksburg ? What was the Emanci- 
pation Proclamation ? What about Fort McAllister ? Tell about For- 
rest's capture of the Federal cavalry. What of State troops? What was 
the general result of the year 18G3 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Fort Pulaski. 4. War measures. 

2. Stealing an engine, 5. Fort McAllister. 

3. Conscript Law. 6. Streight's raid. 




Bri&.Gen.HenryL.Beinning 




GeokgiaGenerals InVirglnia 

The C0hfFEDERAn6TA tes 

/8G1-G3. 



""I 

^rig.Gen.Geo. Doles. 



Brig. Gen. Ldward Willis' 

From A Picture When A 5ruDE~T. 



1. KlLLtO TNE OAV Hia CC 
ilON WAS SICNCO.. 



-^-K 
^ 



^ 




Brig.Gen.GoodeBryan. 




JaiG.GEN.Wia.H. Browne! 

18 6 4.- 



i. On Pre5iO£NT'4 iTAFr; OID 
NOT COMMAND A BR'OAOe, 



CHAPTER LIII. 

FKOM CHATTAXOOGA TO ATLANTA. 

" I have staked life, liberty, and property, and the liberties of my posterity, upon the 
result. My destiny is linked with my country,"— Joseph E. Brown. 

In" March, 1804., General Ulysses S. Grant was put in com- 
mand of all tlie Federal forces^ and at once j^lanned two 
campaigns: one under himself against Richmond, Ya., and 
the other under General W. T. Sherman against Atlanta. 
Opposed to Grant in Virginia was a Confederate army under 
General Robert E. Lee. Another Confederate army, under 
General Joseph E. Johnston, was at Dal ton, Ga., to defend our 
State against invasion. Grant, seated on a log by the road- 
side in Virginia, wrote a despatch to Sherman that he was 
going to Richmond, and ordered Sherman to start for Atlanta. 

The Federal army crossed into Georgia on May 4, 1864, 
with nearly one hundred thousand men and over two hundred 
and fifty cannon. General Johnston had brought his army 
up to its best condition, but he had hardly fifty thousand men. 

Sherman with a part of his army, exceeding in numbers all 
of Johnston's force, made an attack on him at Dalton, and, at 
the same time, sent a large body of troops to Resaca, eighteen 
miles south, to destroy the railroad and cut the Confederates 
off from their supplies of food. Johnston could not spare 
enough men to meet the force, and was compelled to retreat to 
Resaca. Here Sherman attacked liim again, but lost five thou- 
sand men in the battles which continued two days. May 14th 
and 15th. Finding that he could not crush Johnston, he 
again sent troops round to the south toward Calhoun, and 
forced Johnston to retreat to Oassville, leaving to the Federals 



290 



History of Georoia. 



the city of Rome, whicli was attacked and captured by a divi- 
sioa of their army commanded by General Thomas. Sherman 
again tried to cut off Johnston's supplies l)y a force sent 
towards Dallas, but the Confederates met them at New Hope 
Church, and for a week there was fighting every day. 

Sherman was forced to return to the railroad, and early in 
June the two armies were again face to face, the Federals at 
Ac worth, the Confederates at ^larietta. Johnston occupied a 
strong position among tlie mountains, and Sherman tried to 
break the line through by assault. The fighting here con- 
tinued for twentv-three 
days, from June 9th to 
July 3d, in which John- 
ston drove back the 
Federal forces every 
time they were hurled 
against him. The Con- 
federate general, Leon- 
idas Polk, was killed 
on the summit of Pine 
Mountain while looking 
over the lines. During 
part of the time the 
Confederate line extended across Kenesaw Mountain, from 
which the battle fought there took its name. Satisfied that he 
could not win a victory by fighting, Sherman returned to his old 
plan and sent Greneral James B. McPherson to flank Johnston 
by crossing the Chattahoochee River east of Marietta. But John- 
ston was not to be caught. Drawing his forces out of danger, he 
crossed the river ahead of his enemy, leaving nothing behind. 
By this time he had been fighting for seventy-four days, and had 
lost nearly ten thousand men, while Sherman had lost twent}'- 
five thousand, a force equal to half of Johnston's army. John- 
ston had lost ground, but the army was in good spirits and ready 
at any time to advance or fight whenever Johnston said so. 




AN IMPROMPTU FORTIFICATION. 




Brig Gen C D.A^lDERSo^ 



292 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

On July 17. 1804, General Johnston was relieved of the 
command by order of President Davis, and General Hood was 
placed in charge. It is said that when Sherman heard of the 
change he remarked: ''Before this the fighting has been as 
Johnston pleased, bnt hereafter it shall be as I 2:)lease." 
Johnston was a cantious and prudent commander. His army 
being only half that of Sherman, his jiolicy was to avoid 
battle, but to keep always in front of his enemy, so as, if pos- 
sible, to prevent his advance. He retreated only when the 
want of men compelled him to do so in order to avoid being 
flanked, surrounded, and cut off fi'om supplies for his army. 

Atlanta was the next important point of attack and resist- 
ance. Preparations for the defence of the city had been made 
as rapidly as possible. Over ten thousand State trooj^s had 
been placed in the trenches, cannon had been bought, and 
supplies made ready. ^Major-General Gustavus J. Smith com- 
manded the State militia, and General Toombs, who had 
resigned his command in Virginia, Avas on his staff. The four 
brigades of State militia were commanded by Brigadier-Cren- 
erals R. AV. Carswell, P. J. Phillips, C. D. Anderson, and H. 
K. McCay. Besides these, there were many Georgia regi- 
ments in the Confederate army through the entire campaign. 
M. A. Stovall, Hugh AV. ^Vfercer, Alfred Iverson, Jr., John K. 
Jackson, Alfred Gumming, ('. C. AVilson, Eobert H. Ander- 
son, Henry Iv. Jackson, and B. M. Thomas, all Georgians, 
were there as brigadier-generals. Major-General AV. H. T. 
Walker commanded a division, and Lieutenant-General 
AVheeler commanded the cavalry corps. 

General Hood's plan was to assume the olTensive and try to 
force Sherman back, and on July 20, 18G-4, two days after he 
had taken command, the battles around Atlanta commenced. 
Hood attacked Shernuin, and a bloody fight followed, July 
20th, lasting five hours, in which the Confederates lost heavily. 
Hood again attacked Sherman July 22d, and the battle raged 
till night. Both sides fought fiercely, but Sherman stood his 



Battles Around Atlanta. 293 

ground. General McPherson, of the Federal army, was killed 
while riding near the skirmish line of the Confederates. They 
called him to surrender, but he raised his hand as if to salute, 
wheeled his horse, and galloped off. A volley of musketry 
brought him down. Major-General W. H. T. AYalker, a 
gallant Georgian, was killed in the same battle. He was leading 
an attack upon the Federals up a steep ascent, when he was 
shot in the thigh and fell. He was caught by a brother officer, 
who, in leaning over to support him, received a ball in his head. 
General Mercer, commanding Walker's division, was wounded. 

During the struggle around Atlanta, a force of Federal cav- 
alry was surrounded by the Confederate general Iverson, and 
one thousand of them were captured, including the Federal 
general Stoneman. They had been sent to tear up the rail- 
roads leading to Macon. Stoneman had attacked Macon, but 
was driven back by the militia under Governor Brown and 
General Howell Cobb. Hood sent Wheeler's cavalry around 
Sherman's army to the rear, to burn bridges and destroy rail- 
roads, so as to cut off the enemy's communication Avith their 
sources of supply. But Wheeler did not succeed in this. 

From the earthworks outside Atlanta the Federal guns con- 
stantly threw shot and shell into all parts of the city. The 
bursting of the bombs, the striking of the cannon-balls, the 
tearing up of the houses and streets filled the 2:>eople with 
terror. They fled to cellars and railroad cuts for safety. Sher- 
man began to move his army around to the south side of 
Atlanta. Hood followed him, and a week afterwards assaulted 
him as fiercely as ever at Ezra Church, near Atlanta, but 
met with a repulse. On August 31st General Sherman sent a 
large body of men to cut the Macon Railroad at Jonesboro. 
The Confederates at that place, under Hardee, could not drive 
them back. The Georgia Railroad and the West Point Railroad 
were both held by Sherman, and there was nothing now left 
for Hood but to march out of Atlanta, which he did, after 
setting fire to the military stores so that the Federals might not 



294 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

get possession of them. AMien Hood left Atlanta lie started 
towards Tennessee, thinking to force Sherman to leave Georgia 
to protect his base of supplies. But Sherman sent General 
Thomas to follow Hood, while he himself began to prepare 
his army for a further advance into Georgia. 

After leaving Atlanta, Hood sent a division to capture Alla- 
toona, which was strongly fortified. Sherman signalled Gen- 
eral Corse at AUatoona to hold the fort as reinforcements 
were coming. The Confederates made a gallant assault, but 
withdrew when reinforcements arrived. Sherman's message 
suggested the popular religious song, " Hold the fort." 

When Sherman entered Atlanta he ordered all the inhabitants 
to leave at once. He had their baggage sent to the railroad, 
and over sixteen hundred people were forced to abandon their 
homes. Before his departure he set fire to the city, and only 
four hundred houses out of five thousand were left. He said 
that Georgia should " feel the weight of war." 

QUESTIONS. 

What campaigns were planned for 1804 ? With what force did the 
Federal army cross into Georgia ? What was the number of Johnston's 
army ? What about the stand at Marietta ? Who was killed on Pine 
Mountain ? Up to this time liow many men had been lost on each side ? 
Who took Johnston's place in July, 1864 ? What did Sherman say 
when he heard it ? What had been Johnston's policy ? What about the 
defence of Atlanta ? What was General Hood's plan ? Tell of the 
death of McPherson and Walker. What Federal force and general 
were captured ? What about the surrender of Atlanta ? How did Sher- 
man treat the inhabitants and the city ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Sherman's plan. 3. Hood placed in command. 

3. Johnston's retreat. 4. Battles around Atlanta. 



CHAPTER LIV. 



THE MARCH TO THE SEA. 



" We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make old and 
young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war."— General William Tecumseh 
Sherman. 

With sixty thousand men Sherman started on November 
15, 1864, from Atlanta on his famous march to the sea. His 
army spread out so as to cover a front of forty miles, and as 
they marched they lived on the country and destroyed prop- 
erty of every kind. Villages, farm-houses, gin-houses, cotton 
crops were burned ; horses were taken away ; cows, hogs, and 
sheep were killed for the use of the soldiers or left dead in 
the fields. Thieves who followed the army, or belonged to 
its lowest elements, robbed houses not only of provisions, but 
of silverware and other valuables of all sorts that could be 
carried away. A track of desolation three hundred miles 
long was made across the face of Georgia, and in the wake of 
the army women and children were in many cases glad to eat 
the corn left by the soldiers' horses. In his report Sherman 
said : ^^I estimate the damage done to the State of Georgia 
at one hundred million dollars. '^ 

At Milledgeville the legislature was in session, but had 
adjourned for dinner when the news came that Sherman was 
aj)proaching. The legislators did not return to the Capitol, 
and everybody made haste to leave the city. Outgoing trains 
were loaded with passengers, carriages and Avagons were hired 
or bought at fabulous prices, and every other means of escape 
was resorted to. 

Governor Brown gave orders to have the records and State 



296 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

pa^oers and property removed. But men to do the work 
could not be found until the governor called out convicts 
from the penitentiary and offered them pardon if they would 
enlist in the service. This they agreed to do, and by their 
aid the State property was moved to the trains and shipped 
to places of safety. Finally Governor Brown, his family and 
the officers, left the city just as the Federal cavalry entered it. 

Leaving Milledgeville, Sherman marched through the State 
and reached the coast in December. He captured Fort 
McAllister December 13th, and then invested Savannah. 
General William Hardee, with only ten thousand troops, could 
not resist Sherman ^s army of sixty thousand, so he quietly 
left the city during the night of December 20th, crossing the 
river on pontoon bridges, and Sherman entered Savannah 
December 21, 1864. He seized a large quantity of military 
stores and thousands of bales of cotton, and was disappointed 
to find that General Hardee and his men had escaped capture 
and had carried off forty-nine jneces of artillery. He sent a 
telegram to President Lincoln, saying: ''I beg to present 
you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with one hun- 
dred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also 
about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."^ 

About the same time Hood's army in Tennessee was badly 
defeated, broken into fragments, and driven back to Georgia. 
These were fatal blows to the cause of the Confederate States, 
and from this time the struggle was hopeless. Sherman 
stayed in Savannah a month, then marched into South Caro- 
lina, where he was again opposed by General Joseph E. 
Johnston, who had been placed in command of the fragments 
of Hood's army. But Johnston's efforts were powerless to 
stay the fate of the Southern arms. 

While Sherman was carrying out this programme so suc- 
cessfully in Georgia, General Grant had failed in Virginia. 
He had attacked Lee in the Wilderness, and after four days' 
fighting had given it up and attempted to turn his flank, but 




Br uGenC a Evans 




Brig.GemDudley.MDuBo; 



f^ 




N 






Bri ,GenPhil Cook 




^^^pw\^tjS;i 



IN 






1^^^=^ 





BRIGGaNEPAlEXANDER 



r 



^ 1 



,f 



GeorgiaGeneralsIn Virginia 

CoM/^/ss/OAiiD By 

The Confederate 3t/\te5 
/A /8G4-G5 



/li'- 
ri6.Gen.G.M.5orrel. 



Brig.Gen.LuciusJ.Gartrell. 




Brig.Gen.VJ.B.Girardy. 



298 HIjSTOEV of GEORGIA. 

when lie reached Spottsylvania Court House, twenty-four 
hours later, Lee's army was there waiting for him. The 
fighting tliat occurred here was the most desperate of the 
war, and the Georgia soldiers bore their part and won the 
admiration of the whole army. Grant moved southeast to 
North Anna River and Cold Harbor. At both places Lee's 
army again confronted him and repelled his attacks. Briga- 
dier-general George Doles lost his life in this campaign. 
Grant then crossed to the south side of the James River and 
laid siege to Petersburg. In the spring of 18G5 the move- 
ments against Petersburg and Richmond were pressed and 
the lines gradually closed in. Georgia brigades were in every 
battle. In 1864 and 1865 E. P. Alexander, Clement A. Evans, 
Phil. Cook, y. J. B. Girardey, L. J. Gartrell, G. M. Sorrel, 
Dudley M. DuBose, and James P. Simms were commissioned 
brigadier-generals. P. M. B. Young and Ambrose R. "Wright 
were major-generals, John B. Gordon commanded a corps, 
and General Evans commanded Gordon's division. General 
Girardey was killed before his commission was made out. 

Early in A])y\\ Lee's lines were broken, Richmond was 
abandoned, and a few days later the remnant of his army sur- 
rendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House. 
Johnston surrendered to Sherman April 26th at Benton- 
ville, N". C, and the great war was over. 

^leanwhile, on the 14th of April, while the North was re- 
joicing over the successful termination of the war, President 
Lincoln was assassinated in Washington city. The people 
of Georgia were horrified at this act, for, notwithstanding 
the bitterness of the war, they recognized Mr. Lincoln's high 
character and true patriotism. Vice-President Andrew John- 
son, of Tennessee, thus became President of the United States. 

The beautiful custom of placing fiowers on the graves of 
soldiers was suggested by Mrs. Mary Williams, of Columbus, 
Ga. Her husband, who had been in the war, was buried in the 
cemetery of that place, and she and her little daughter would 



Decorating Soldiers' graves. 299 

often come and lay flowers on his grave. One day the child 
asked her mother to allow her to put flowers on other soldiers' 
graves. Mrs. AVilliams then thought how good it would be 
if once a year the ladies throughout the South would devote 
a day to decorating with flowers the graves of the Confederate 
dead. She wrote a letter to the Columhus Times, in which 
she said : 

*^'' We cannot raise monumental shafts and inscribe thereon 
their many deeds of heroism, but we can keep alive the 
memory of the debt we owe them by dedicating at least one 
day in each year to embellishing their humble graves with 
flovv^ers.'^ 

The suggestion met with favor, and was generally adopted 
throughout the South. In Georgia the 26th day of April is 
observed as Memorial Day. 

Georgia had sent to the field about one hundred and twenty 
thousand soldiers, many of whom were boys sixteen or seven- 
teen years of age and men from fifty to sixty. General 
Grant said that the Confederacy had ^^ robbed the cradle and 
the grave'' to fill its armies. By the war the State lost 
three-fourths of its wealth, including all slaves, which were 
valued at nearly three hundred millions of dollars. The lands 
fell to one-half their value. One-fourth of all the railroad 
tracks had been destroyed, and a path of ruin and desolation 
forty miles wide had been cut through the State from Chatta- 
nooga to Savannah. The State debt had grown to over twenty 
million dollars. There were thousands of poor people — 
widows and orphans, broken down soldiers and their families' 
— in the State, besides large numbers who could find no work, 
and were daily asking for bread. Medicine and all kinds of 
food and clothing were very scarce. The Confederate paper 
money was worth but little, forty-nine Confederate dollars 
being of no more value than one gold dollar. A hat cost 
three hundred dollars in Confederate money, a horse several 
thousands, a barrel of flour sold for four hundred dollars. 



300 History of Georgia. 

and a pair of boots for eiglit Imndred dollars, while the pay 
of a soldier was only eleven dollars a month, hardly enough 
to buy a loaf of bread. 

[Fort McAllister stood about sixteen miles below Savannah, on the 
Ogeechee River. When Sherman appeared before the fort in December, 
1864, it was garrisoned by only one hundred and fifty men, under Major 
George W. Anderson. The attacking force consisted of seventeen regi- 
ments, which, on the morning of December 13th, was ordered to capture 
the fort. This was done after a hot fight. The assaulting column num- 
bered over three thousand men, and in the engagement lost one hundred 
and thirty-four men and officers, while the defenders lost only forty- 
eight. The greatest compliment that could be paid the brave garrison 
was made by the Federal general, who said in his report : "We fought 
the garrison through the fort to the bomb proofs, from which they 
still fought, and only succumbed as each man was individually over- 
powered."] 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the strength of Sherman's army when he set out from 
Atlanta, November, 18G4 ? Describe the march to the sea. What effect 
had the news of Sherman's approach on the people of Milledgeville ? 
How were the State papers and other property secured ? What fort did 
Sherman capture before reaching Savannah ? How many soldiers did 
General Hardee have ? What did Hardee do ? What did Sherman 
seize ? What telegram did he send to President Lincoln ? What 
became of Hood's army in Tennessee ? Tell of the surrender of Lee 
and Johnston. What unfortunate event occurred in April, 1865 ? Tell 
how Memorial Day originated. How many soldiers did Georgia send 
to the field during the war ? What was the condition of things in the 
State at the end of the war ? What about the Confederate money ? 

TOPICS. 

The March to the Sea. End of the Struggle. 

1. Devastation. 4. In Tennessee. 

2. Sherman at Milledgeville. 5. In Virginia. 

3. Capture of Savannah. 6. In the Carolinas. 

Memorial Day — Condition of Georgia. 



CHAPTER LV. 



THE FEDERAL ARMY ASSUMES COJq-TROL OF GEORGIA. 

" Liberty in its last analysis is but the sweat of the poor and the blood of the brave." 
—Robert Toombs. 

After President Davis left Richmond he started south 
with a number of friends. In May, 1865, the party reached 
Washington, Ga., the home of Robert Toombs. Here some 
members of the Confederate cabinet assembled, with A. R. 
Lawton, then quartermaster-general; 
I. M. St. John, commissary-general; 
Major Moses, and ' 
others, in a last 
conference, and 
then broke up for- 
ever. Thus the 
Confederate gov- 
ernment dissolved 
in the town of 
Washington upon 
the soil of Georgia. 

President Davis 
retreated into the 
interior of Georgia, 
travelling in a 

wagon about thirty miles a day. For five days he proceeded 
without interruption until the morning of the lOtli of May, 
when a band of Federal cavalry who had started in pursuit 
overtook him in Irwin County, Georgia. He was then arrested 
and conveyed to Fortress Monroe, and held in prison with- 
out trial for nearly two years. 




)RiG Gen W R Doggs 



Brig.Gen. I.M.St. John. 

CoMfiiSiAnr Ge/^EHAL C.i>.A. /8&S. 



302 History of Georgia. 

While President Davis and his cabinet were in Washing- 
ton, Ga., a train of wagons arrived, carrying a large amount 
of gold and silver belonging to the Confederate government. 
This was known as the ^^ Specie Train,'" and was guarded 
with great care by an armed force. Rolls of the troops were 
made out, and twenty-six dollars and twenty-five cents each 
were paid to as many as could be reached. Forty thousand 
dollars were set aside to pay for rations for other soldiers re- 
turning from the war. The orders about this specie and 
its distribution Avere the last orders of the Confederate 
government. 

Soon after the members of the cabinet had left Washing- 
ton, and while Robert Toombs was still at his home, a man 
on horseback galloped up to his residence, threw a bag over 
the fence, and rode off rapidly. The bag was found to con- 
tain five thousand dollars in gold coin, but there Avas no 
letter or message with it, and no one could tell who left it. 
General Toombs ordered it to be paid out for the benefit of 
the Confederate soldiers who were returning from the war. 

A day or two afterwards a body of Federal soldiers called 
at General Toombs's house and rang the bell. The general 
was in his private office, and looking through the window, 
lie saw the soldiers as they ajoproached. Knowing their pur- 
pose was to arrest him, he hastened out by the back door, 
saddled a horse and rode off quickly. Mrs. Toombs answered 
the knocking at the door. The soldiers said they wanted the 
general. Mrs. Toombs invited them in, and detained them for 
nearly half an hour on various pretexts. When they became 
suspicious she showed them over the house, and assisted 
them in looking for the general, but by this time he was 
beyond their reach. After wandering all over Georgia and 
through Alabama to New Orleans, he went to England, where 
he remained for several years. 

Governor Brown at once issued a call for the legislature to 
meet. General Wilson, commander of the Federal troops at 



Under Federal Laws. 303 

Macon, notified him to surrender the State militia, who had 
been under arms. This Governor Brown did, and received 
his parole. He returned to Milledgeville, but tlie next night 
the mansion was surrounded by Federal soldiers, who had come 
to arrest him. "1 have my j)arole,'^ said Governor Brown. 
^^But I have instructions to take that away from you,^' re- 
plied the officer in command. The governor was carried to 
Washington city and put in prison. Here he complained to 
the President of his arrest while holding a parole, and at 
the end of a week he was set at liberty. Alexander Stephens 
was arrested at his home in Orawfordville and carried a 
prisoner to a fort at Boston, where he was kept for five 
months, when he was released on parole. Howell Cobb and 
B. H. Hill were also arrested and imprisoned. 

Governor BroAvn returned to Georgia, but the State was 
under control of the Federal army. A period of military 
rule had begun, and a Federal officer was in charge of every 
city. The legislature did not meet because General AVil- 
son, the Federal commander, had issued an order, saying : 
^' Keither the legislature nor any other political body will be 
permitted to assemble under the rebel State authorities.''^ 
Governor Brown then resigned his office. He had been re- 
elected in 1859 and in 1861, and again in 1863, so that he 
had the honor of four terms as governor. He now, however, 
resigned the office, and he issued an address to the peoj^le, 
advising them to make the best of the situation, to agree to the 
abolition of slaver}^, to support the administration at Wash- 
ington, and to aid in the reconstruction of the State, so that 
it might be restored to the Union as soon as possible. 

The Federal generals in control of the State did many 
acts of kindness to the people. Eations were issued to 
returning soldiers and to those who were without means of 
support. Supplies and horses surrendered by the Confederate 
authorities were distributed among the needy, and a number 
of horses and mules belonging to the United States govern- 



304 



HISTORY OF Georgia. 



ment^ that luid given out during Sherman's campaign and 
had been left in north Georgia, were permitted to remain in 
tlie hands of the peoj^le of that section wlio had suffered so 
severely. During the entire spring and summer of 186-i this 
section of the State had been occupied by Federal or Con- 
federate armies, so that no crops had been raised. General 
Wofford Avas especially active in securing relief for the people. 
The great State of Georgia continued without a governor 
and under the sole control of the Federal army for about 
two months. In June, 18G5, Andrew Johnson, President of 
the United States, appointed James 
J' '^\ Johnson, of Cohimbus, provisional 

J j governor of the State of Georgia. 

M >a^ ifl!!^i The new governor went to Milledge- 

ville and entered upon his duties July 
22, 1865. He issued a proclamation 
calling for a State convention of dele- 
gates elected by the people to meet at 
Milledgeville in October. Every man 
who had fought on the Confederate 
side was required to take an oath 
known as the ^'Amnesty Oath," in 
which he swore allegiance to the government of the United 
States. Those who took this amnesty oath and all Avho had 
not taken any part in the war were permitted to vote. The 
men who had held office before the war and had afterward 
served in the Confederate army were not permitted to take 
any part in the election, but the great body of white citizens 
voted. This excluded many leaders of Georgia. 

The convention which assembled at Milledgeville was a 
very able and conservative body, and four important things 
were done : (1) The ordinance of secession adopted by the 
convention of 18G1 was repealed ; (2) slavery was abolished 
in Georgia ; (3) a new State constitution was adopted ; (4) 
the debt incurred by the State of Georgia in prosecuting the 




JOHNSON, PROVISIONAL 
GOVERNOR. 



Questions and topics. 305 

war was repudiated ; that is, the convention dechired tliat it 
shoukl not be paid. The convention was very unwilling to 
rej^udiate the war debt, and Governor Johnson telegraphed 
this fact to the President of the United States. The Presi- 
dent re^^lied that unless the war debt was repudiated, Georgia 
would not be readmitted to the Union. There was no alter- 
native left the convention but to do as the President wished. 
The convention ordered an election for governor. State 
officers, members of the legislature, and representatives to the 
lower house of Congress, to be held in November, 1865. 
Charles J. Jenkins, of Eichmond County, was elected with- 
out opposition, but Governor Johnson continued for the pres- 
ent to act as provisional governor. 

[James Johnson was born in North Carolina in 1811. He studied law, 
was admitted to the bar, and began to practise in Columbus, Ga. He 
was a representative in Congress from 1851 to 1853 and was appointed 
provisional governor in 1865. He was collector of customs at Savannah 
in 18G6-G9 and judge of the Superior Court of Georgia in 1870.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the last meeting of the Confederate cabinet. Where and 
when was Jefferson Davis arrested ? What were the last orders of the 
Confederate government ? Relate the story of Eobert Toombs and the 
bag of gold coin. Tell how General Toombs escaped. Tell how Governor 
Brown was arrested. How long was he held prisoner ? What did Gov- 
ernor Brown find on his return to Georgia ? What did lie do ? What 
order did General Wilson, the Federal commander, issue ? How long 
did Georgia remain without a governor? What was the "Amnesty 
Oath " ? What did the Milledgeville convention do ? Who was elected 
governor in November, 1865 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. The cabinet disbands. 4. Governor Brown arrested. 

2. Davis arrested. 5. Johnson provisional governor. 

3. Robert Toombs escapes. 6. Milledgeville Convention. 

20 



EPOCH VII. 

Reconstruction. 
CHAPTER LYI. 



GEORGIA EXCLUDED FROM THE UNION. 

"A tempest of unsurpassed fury has swept over the land. The elements do not sub- 
side into their normal .quiet instantaneously with the lull of the wiud, the sleep of the 
lightning, and the hush of the thunder."— Governor Jenkins. 

The legislature met at Milledge- 
ville on the 4tli of December, 1805, 
and ratified the Tliirteentli Amend- 
ment to the Constitution „of the 
United States. The convention had 
already abolished slavery in Georgia. 
The amendment prohibited slavery 
in the United States. Charles J. 
Jenkins was inaugurated governor 
on the 14th of December, President 
Johnson having telegraphed his 
consent. • Early in January, Alexan- 
der H. Stephens and Ilerschel V. Johnson were elected United 
States senators. Congress, however, refused to permit these 
senators, and the representatives who had been elected in Xo- 
vember, to take their seats. This act showed a difference of 
opinion between the President and Congress. 

President Johnson believed that a State could not secede 
and that Georgia had in fact never been out of the Union, the 
ordinance of secession, in his opinion, having been absolutely 
null and void. He believed that those persons who had re- 




CIIARLES J. JENKINS. 



PECULIAR POSITION OF THE STATE. 307 

sisted the authority of the general government had forfeited 
all their rights as citizens, but that those who had not resisted, 
and those who had been pardoned by him for resisting, to- 
gether made up a State — a body politic — which was in the 
Union with all the rights and privileges of any other State. 

The Republican leaders in Congress, however, had changed 
their views as to the Southern States. These leaders now 
claimed that Georgia was admitted to be out of the Union 
when the Confederates were recognized as belligerents, and 
that now Georgia was territory conquered by the army of 
the United States and subject to the control of Congress 
just as any other territory. They denied that the President 
liad any power to reorganize the State governments, and took 
steps to carry out a plan of their own for ''reconstructing" 
these '^^ territories " into States. 

This difference of opinion led to a struggle between the 
President and Congress. During the long contest, Georgia 
occuj)ied a j^eculiar position, being recognized by the President 
as a State, under the control of its governor and its own offi- 
cers, but by Congress as a territory under the control of the 
army. The State officers continued to occupy their posi- 
tions; the legislature met, the courts were held, and the laws 
of the State were enforced. But the United States army 
occupied Georgia, being kept there by Congress in charge of 
the "territory." 

With the army a large number of Northern men also came 
to Georgia. Some came to make their homes here and to take 
a part in building up tlie State. A great number, however, 
were mere adventurers, who had no real interest in the State, 
and whose only object was to secure offices. These adventurers 
were appropriately called "carpet-baggers." Many of them 
came as agents of the Freed men's Bureau, which had been 
created by Congress to look after the interests of the f reed- 
men. One was located in every important town and they soon 
acquired great influence with the freedmen. Prejudiced 



308 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

against the Southern people, ignorant of tlie relations between 
the former masters and slaves, unable to appreciate the con- 
ditions which then existed, these agents, even with the best 
intentions, could only do harm. 

Congress proposed the Fourteenth Amendment to the Con- 
stitution of the United States, and demanded that the South- 
ern States must ratif}' it before Congress would recognize them 
as in the Union. The Georgia legislature met in November and 
refused to ratify, upon the ground that if Georgia Avas not a 
State, but a territory, she had no right to vote; while if Georgia 
was a State, the amendment was not legally proposed by a Con- 
gress from which her representatives were excluded, and 
Congress had no right to dictate to a State how it should act 
on any amendment. 

By this action the issue was made and a crisis was at hand. 
Governor Brown went to Washington in the early part of the 
next year to see what could be done. Upon his return he 
wrote a letter advising the people of Georgia to accept the 
Fourteenth Amendment, for the reason that they would in 
the end be forced to do so. But the people were not in a mood 
to follow this advice, and Governor Brown became at once 
the most unpopular man in the State. 

Governor Jenkins also went to Washington and tried to test 
in the Supreme Court the powers of Congress to make citizens 
of the freedmen, but the case was dismissed by the Court, 
Then he wrote a letter to the jieople of Georgia advising "a 
firm but temperate refusal of acquiescence" in the demands 
of Congress. Benjamin II. Hill threw all his influence and 
eloquence against the measures. 

In March, 1867, Congress passed an act called the Eecon- 
struction Act, under which Georgia, Alabama, and Florida 
were made the third military district, and ^laj or- General Pope 
of the Federal army was put in command. In July another 
reconstruction act was passed in accordance with which a reg- 
istration of voters took place under the direction in each county 



Election under Reconstruction Acts. 309 

of a military officer. There were nearly as many negroes put 
on the register as white men, the total number registered 
being 192,235, of which 95,973 were colored persons. General 
Pope then ordered an election for delegates to a constitutional 
convention. Many whites refused to vote in this election, and 
the negroes voted for the first time. Many of the delegates 
chosen were men of no character and little ability. Of the 
166 delegates elected, 33 were negroes. 

[Charles J. Jenkins was born in Beaufort District, S. C, in 1805. 
When he was eleven years' old his parents moved to Georgia and settled in 
Jefferson County. He studied at the State University, and in 1830 he 
entered the legislature. He was attorney-general of the State in 1831. 
He was elected again to the legislature and became speaker of the House 
of Representatives. He was in the Georgia Convention of 1850 and was 
the author of the famous " Georgia platform." He declined the office of 
secretary of the interior under Millard Fillmore. In 1860 he was ap- 
pointed to the Supreme Bench of Georgia. He was president of the Con- 
stitutional Convention of 1877. He died in Summerville, near Augusta, 
in 1883.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What did tlie legislature at Milledgeville do ? Who was inaugurated 
governor ? What action did Congress take in relation to the senators 
and representatives of Georgia ? Tell about the difference between 
President Johnson and Congress on this matter. What was the peculiar 
position of Georgia during the struggle ? Tell about the "carpet-bag- 
gers." What acts did Congress pass in 1867 ? Tell about the registra- 
tion of voters. What did some of the whites do at the election ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Jenkins inaugurated. 3. Congress and Georgia. 

2. The President and Congress. 4. The Reconstruction Act. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

UXDER MILITARY GOYERXOKS. 

" What does lie do — tliis* liero in gray with a heart of gold:' Does he sit down in suiien- 
ness and despair? Not for a day. Surely God, who had stripped him of his prosixjrity, 
inspired him in his adversity. As ruin was never before so overwhelming, never was 
restoration swifter."— Henry Grady. 

The conveutiou met at Atlanta on December 9tli and re- 
mained in session till the following March. A constitution 
was framed and adojoted, and it was provided that it should 
be submitted to the vote of the people at an election in 
April, at which governor. State legislature, and congressmen 
should be chosen. The question of the location of the State 
capital was also to be submitted to the people. Atlanta offered 
an executive mansion and a suitable building for the legisla- 
ture for ten years, and a lot on which to build a new State 
house. Milledgeville offered a site and a sum of money equal 
to the value of the old buildings. 

During the session of the convention General Pope was 
relieved of his command of the district and General Meade 
appointed his successor. 

This convention, requiring funds to pay its expenses, made a 
demand upon the State treasurer for forty thousand dollars for 
that purpose. The treasurer refused to give the money, on the 
ground that the law prohibited payments out of the State 
treasury except by order of the governor, with the sanction 
of the comptroller. General Meade, being appealed to by the 
convention, wrote to Governor Jenkins calling upon him to 
issue a warrant on the treasury for the money required, but the 
governor also refused. Meade then removed Governor Jenkins 



Governor Bullocks Ad3iinistration. 311 




GOVERNOR R. B. BULLOCK. 



and wrote au order in which General Thomas H. Eager, of the 
United States army, was " detailed for duty " as governor of 
Georgia, and Captain Charles F. Rockwell as treasurer. 

Governor Jenkins went to Washington and appealed to the 
Supreme Court against the action of 
Meade, hut without success. When 
leaving Georgia he took with him 
the great seal of the State, and four 
hundred thousand dollars of State 
money. He deposited the money in 
a bank in Xew York to the credit of 
Georgia, and he carried the seal 
to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he 
went with his family to reside. 

The election ordered by the con- 
vention took place in April, 1868, and the new constitution 
was ratified by a large majority. Eufus B. Bullock, the Ee- 
publican candidate, was elected governor, with a majority of 
more than seven thousand over John B. Gordon, the Demo- 
crat. The majority voted in favor of Atlanta for State capital. 

Twenty-eight negroes were 
elected to the legislature. 

In June, 3 868, Congress 
passed an act admitting Georgia 
to the Union on certain condi- 
tions, one being that the State 
legislature should ratify the 
Fourteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution of the United 
States. The legislature met 
in July and complied with the 
conditions, after which Gov- 
ernor Bullock was inaugurated 
and the government transferred from the military to the civil 
authorities of the State. 




JOSHUA HILL. 



313 



History of Georgia, 




H. Y. M. MILLEK. 



This legislature elected Joshua Hill and H. V. M. Miller 
United States senators, but tliey were not permitted to take 
their seats. The lower house, however, at once seated the 
Georgia congressmen, and the vote of Georgia was counted by 

Congress for Seymour and Blair, 
Democratic candidates for Presi- 
dent and Vice-President. 

In September, 1868, the State 
legislature expelled its negro mem- 
bers, on the ground that, by the 
laws in existence at the adoption 
of the recently formed constitu- 
tion, colored persons were excluded 
from office, and that the constitu- 
tion provided for the continuance 
of these laws. Regarding this pro- 
ceeding as a violation of the reconstruction acts. Congress, on as- 
sembling on March 4, 18G0, refused to allow the representatives 
from Georgia to take their seats in tliat body. Soon after, 
the Supreme Court decided that negroes had a right to hold 
office. Congress then passed an act requiring Governor Bul- 
lock to convene the State legislature, with the expelled negroes 
as members, and requiring further that the legislature should 
ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States before Georgia could be entitled to representa- 
tion in Congress. To carry the act into operation, Major- 
General Terry was appointed military commander of Georgia. 
The State legislature met on January 10, 1870, and at- 
tempted, amid much excitement and tumult, to organize. 
There were many adjournments ; but, at length, both houses 
organized with the negro members reseated. The Fifteenth 
Amendment was then ratified, and senators were elected in 
place of Hill and IMiller, but the United States Senate refused 
to recognize this election, and seated Ilill and Miller. 

The manner in which the Georgia legislature had been organ- 



Congressmen Finally Seated. 313 

izecl attracted the attention of Congress. The judiciary com- 
mittee was directed to inquire into the organization, and their 
report pronounced it an ''improjier, illegal and arbitrary 
proceeding." A bill was passed providing for a new and fair 
election. Congress soon after passed an act admitting Georgia 
to the Union. It was signed by President Grant in July, but 
it was January next year before the senators and represen- 
tatives of Georgia were admitted to their seats in Congress. 
This completed the work of reconstruction of the South, 
Georgia being the last of the States to be readmitted. 

Meanwhile, the fight against Governor Bullock in the State 
was bitter and relentless. The Democratic State Convention 
in August passed strong resolutions pledging the party to a con- 
stitutional government and to a 
united effort for overthrowing the 
corrupt State administration. 
These resolutions were drawn by 
Judge Linton Stephens of Sparta, 
one of the ablest men of the State 
and a brother of A. H. Stephens. 

In December, 1870, the Western 
and Atlantic Eailroad was leased 
under an act of the legislature, for 
twenty years, and Governor Brown, 
one of the lessees, was elected 

president. He resigned as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 
and Governor Bullock appointed A. 0. Lochrane as his suc- 
cessor. 

[Rufus Brown Bullock was born in New York in 1834. He came to 
Augusta in 1860 to organize the business of the Adams Express Company, 
in the South Atlantic States. His headquarters were at Augusta. Here 
lie formed the Southern Express Company and became one of its mana- 
gers. He was concerned in the organization of the first national bank 
in Georgia and was also president of the Macon and Augusta railroad. 
In 1867 he was chosen a delegate to the convention called to frame a con- 




314 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

stitution under the then existing reconstruction laws. After his return 
to the State he made his home in Atlanta, and became president of the 
Atlanta Cotton Mills.] 

[H. V. M. Miller was born in South Carolina in 1814. He studied 
medicine and settled in Cassville, Ga. Ilis eloquence won for him tlic 
title of the Demosthenes of the Mountains. lie was professor in several 
medical colleges and a surgeon during the civil war. He was an active 
member of the Constitutional Convention after the war and United States 
senator from 1870 to 1871. He died in Atlanta in 1897.] 

[Joshua Hill was born in South Carolina in 1812. lie became a lawyer 
and practised at Madison, Ga. He was in Congress from 1857 to 1861, 
when he resigned his seat, at the request of tlie Georgia convention, as 
he was opposed to secession. He took no part in the war, but was 
candidate for governor in 1863, when he was defeated by Governor 
Brown. He served as senator until 1873. He died in Madison in 1891.] 

[Linton Stephens, a younger brother of Alexander II. Stephens, was 
born at Crawfordsville, Georgia, July, 1823. He graduated at the 
University of Georgia, 1843; studied law at the University of Virginia 
and at Harvard, and was admitted to the bar of Georgia. He repre- 
sented the counties of Taliaferro and Hancock in the State legislature; 
became Judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 1858; was a Union dele- 
gate to the Secession Convention of 1861, and afterward a member of tlie 
legislature. He commanded Stephens's Battalion of Georgia Cavalry. 
He died at Sparta, 1872. 

QUESTIONS. 

What did the Convention at Atlanta do? Tell about the action of Gov. 
Jenkins and Gen. Meade in regard to the ex})enses of the Convention. 
What did Gov. Jenkins do when he was removed? Who was elected 
Governor in 1868 ? What did the State legislature of 1868 do ? Wluit 
did Congress then do? What was the decision of the United States Su- 
preme Court? Wliat did Congress then do? What did the State legis- 
lature do? Wliat of the Western and Atlantic Railroad in 1870 ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Atlanta Convention. 4. State legislature of 1870. 

2. Gov. BuUock elected. 5. Congress admits Georgia. 

3. Legislature expels negroes. 6. Gov. Bullock censured. 



EPOCH Vlli. 

Georgia once more in the Union. 

CHAPTEE LVIII. 



THE retur:n^ of peace. 

" There was a South of Slavery and Secession— that South is dead. There is a South 
of Union and Freedom— that South, thank God! is living, breathing, growing every day." 
—Benjamin H. IIill. 

On- the 23d of October, 1871, 
Governor Bullock wrote his resigna- 
tion and left the State. The matter 
was kej^t a profound secret for a 
week. At the end of this time, Ben- 
jamin Oonley, President of the Sen- 
ate, took the oath of office as gov- 
ernor and assumed the duties. Two 
days later the legislature met, and 
Governor Conley Avas no longer a 
member of the senate, his term hav- 
ing expired. He was permitted to 

serve until his successor was elected and qualified, and the 
legislature ordered an election to be held for governor on the 
3d of December. James M. Smith was nominated by the 
Democrats and was elected without opposition. In January, 
1872, he was inaugurated governor. 

Ex-Governor Jenkins now returned, and delivered up to 
Governor Smith the great seal of the State. In restoring it, 
he said: " I derive great satisfaction from the reflection that 




GOVERNOR JAMES M. SMITH. 



310 



History of Georgia. 






\ 




it has never been desecrated by the grasp of a military 
usurper's hand." The legislature soon after passed a resolu- 
tion authorizing the governor to have 
made and j^resented to Mr. Jenkins 
a fac-simile of the seal, with the in- 
scription, " Presented to Charles J. 
Jenkins, by the State of Georgia," 
and also this motto. In arduisfi delis, 
which means faithful in difficulties. 
Chief Justice Lochrane resigned 
his position on the Supreme Bench 
and Governor Smith appointed Judge 
Hiram Warner as his successor. 

A committee appointed by the 
legislature to investigate the matter 
reported that bonds to the extent of several million dollars 
issued during the Bullock administration were fraudulent. 
The legislature therefore declared the bonds null and void 
from the date of their issue, and they 
have never been paid by the State. 

Charges were preferred against Gov- 
ernor Bullock and a warrant was issued 
for his arrest. An officer was sent to 
Xew York, where he was supposed to 
be, but he could not be found. A few 
years later he submitted to arrest, was 
tried, and was acquitted on failure of 
proof to convict him. 

The Constitution of 18G8 directed 
the legislature to provide for the es- 
tablishment of common schools, free 

to all children of the State, and with this object an act was 
passed in 1870. Governor Bullock appointed General J. R. 
Lewis State school commissioner. A new school law was passed 
in 1872, and one half the rental of the AVestern and Atlantic 



GOVEKNOR BENJAMIN CONLEY. 




GUSTAVUS J. ORR. 



The College at Dahlonega. 



317 



Railroad was added to the public school fund. Professor 
Gustavus J. Orr was appointed State commissioner of schools 
by Governor Smith. 

In 1872 Governor Smith was reelected governor for a term 
of four years, and the vote of the State was cast for Horace 




NOETH UKUKUIA AUKICULTUKAl. CULLEUE, DAHLONEUA. 



318 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

Greeley for President of the United States. General Grant 
was, however, elected. He appointed A. T. Akerman, of 
Bartow County, attorney-general in his Cabinet. 

The North Georgia Agricultural College, at Dxihlonega, in 
Lumpkin County, was opened in January, 1873, as one of the 
branch colleges of the University, the United States Govern- 
ment having given the old mint and ten acres of land for the 
purpose. In 1878 the mint was destroyed by fire, and a new 
college building was erected. The first diploma for the degree 
of A.B., received by a woman from a State institution, was 
granted by this college in 1878. 

In 18G2 Congress j^assed an act donating certain public 
lands to tlie States and Territories for the promotion of agri- 
culture and the mechanic arts. The share allotted to Georgia 
was accepted by the State legislature in 1866, and the interest 
of the fund arising from the sale of the lands, amounting to 
about ^17,000 a year, was assigned to the trustees of the Uni- 
versity to carry out the purposes of the act. 

The legislature of 1871 had elected Thomas M. Xorwood 
United States senator to succeed Dr. Miller. In 1873 the 
legislature elected John B. Gordon United States senator 
to succeed Joshua Hill. 

The convict lease system, begun under the Bullock adminis- 
tration, received the attention of the legislature of 1874, 
which authorized the governor to hire out the penitentiary 
convicts on lease for terms of not more than five years. In 
1876 the legislature extended the limit to twenty years. The 
law refjuired that the convicts should work only ten hours a 
day, and should have sufficient food, clothing, and sleeping 
accommodation, and medical attendance. 

During the term of office of Governor Smith there was a 
great improvement in the financial and industrial condition 
of the people. The public credit was restored, the bonds of 
the State rose to par value, and the State was relieved of a 
fraudulent debt. However, an unpleasant incident occurred. 



hiPROVED Condition of the State. 319 

The State treasurer paid, witli interest, certain bonds which 
had ah'eady been paid by Henry Clews of New York, but had 
not been cancelled. No one charged him with dishonesty, but 
he was promptly removed by Governor Smith. 

[James M. Smith was born in Twiggs County in 1823. He was edu- 
cated in Monroe County, became a lawyer, and served in the Confederate 
army as colonel of the 13th Georgia Regiment, lie was in the legisla- 
ture of 1871-72 as speaker of the House of Representatives. He was 
governor from 1872 to 1876. He was a member of the first State Rail- 
road Commission appointed by the governor under the act of 1879.] 

[Gustavus J. Orr, LL.D., was born in South Carolina, August 9, 
1819. He grew up on a farm, with meagre school privileges, till he was 
about twenty years of a,ge. He spent a year and a half at the University, 
and then graduated at Emory College. He was offered a place in the 
Faculty at Emory, which he accepted, thus beginning a long life of edu- 
cational work. He built up the public school system in Georgia, and 
by him were suggested nearly all the laws on the subject of education, 
passed while he was in office.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What happened in October, 1871 ? Who was elected governor by the 
people in December ? Tell about ex-Governor Jenkins and the return- 
ing of the seal. What can you say of the fraudulent bonds, and what was 
done regarding them ? What can you say of the public school fund in 
1872 ? Tell about the North Georgia Agricultural College. Who was 
elected senator in 1873 ? What power was given the governor regarding 
the lease of convicts ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Bullock resigns. 4. Bullock bonds repudiated. 

2. Smith elected governor. 5. School fund of 1872. 

3. Great seal returned. 6. Convict lease. 



CIIAPTEE LIX. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF 1877. 



" Our work is before us, gentlemen, and a grand achievement is within our grasp. 
That work is the restoration of a vast heritage which a sad fortune has sorely wasted and 
damaged." — Alfred H. Colquitt. 



Gen". Alfked H. Colquitt was 
nominated for governor by the 
Democratic Convention held at At- 
lanta in Augnst, 1876. The Repub- 
licans nominated Jonathan Xorcross, 
of Atlanta, as their candidate. The 
election which followed in October 
resulted in the election of Colquitt, 
by a majority of nearly eighty thou- 
sand votes — the largest ever known 
in the State. At the election for 




GOVEKNOK ALFRED H. COLQUITT. 
(Fi-oni a photo^aph in 1888.) 



President of the United States, on 
Novemljer 7th, the vote of Georgia was cast, by a majority of 
70,042, for the Democratic candidates, Tilden and Hendricks. 
The legislature, which met on January 10, 1877, elected Ben- 
jamin II. Hill, United States senator for a term of six years, 
to succeed Thomas M. Norwood. 

The people had never been satisfied with the constitution 
made for them by the Republican party, and the legisla- 
ture called a convention to revise it. This convention met 
in Atlanta on the 11th of July, 1877. Several important 
changes in the constitution were made. The term of oflice 
of governor was reduced from four to two years. The system 
of appointments of judges and solicitors of the Superior Court 



The Work of the Convention, 



321 



by the governor was changed to election by the legislature. 
It was resolved that the sessions of the legislature should be 
biennial instead of annual. The regulation of freight and 
passenger rates on the railroads was put under control of the 




SHORTER COLLEGE, ROME, GA. 

General Assembly, and the payment of the fraaduleut bonds 
was prohibited. Robert Toombs was the leading spirit of this 
convention, and commenting upon the constitution, said 
that they had '^^ locked the doors of the treasury and thrown 
away the key." It was also resolved that the constitution 
should be submitted to the people at an election in December, 



322 History of Georgia. 

and that the question of the removal of the State capital from 
Atlanta to Milledgeville should be submitted to a se])arate vote. 

At the election held December 5th ;, the new constitution 
was ratified by a large majority. This constitution, which 
is still in force, is given in full in the Appendix. 

The question of the location of the capital excited great 
interest in the State, and speakers, some in favor of Atlanta 
and others of Milledgeville, discussed the question before the 
people in every county. Atlanta won by a majority of forty 
thousand votes. Thus the seat of State government, moved 
from Savannah to Louisville, and thence to Milledgeville, was 
finally fixed in Atlanta. 

A female college at Rome was opened in 1873, but in 1877 
Colonel Alfred Shorter, of Rome, took charge of the pro2:)erty, 
removed the old buildings, and erected, at his own exjiense, 
three large and elegant structures on the top of a hill. The 
name of the institution was changed to Shorter College in 
honor of its benefactor. 

A series of exciting investigations occupied the attention of 
the legislature in 1878. Charges having been made of irregu- 
larities in several public departments, committees were ap- 
pointed to examine into the affairs of the offices of secretary 
of state, comptroller-general. State school commissioner, 
public printer, and of the penitentiary. After inquiry, the 
committees reported favorably on all, except the offices of comp- 
troller-general and the State treasurer, where abuses were 
discovered. Articles of impeachment* were therefore pre- 
sented in the House of Representatives against the comptroller 
and the treasurer. The comptroller was charged with re- 
ceiving and using money illegally, making false returns, and 
altering the records of his office. The case was tried by the 



* For the laws regulating impeachment, see Constitution of Georgia, 
Art. 3, Sec. VI., Par. III. For the Trial of Persons impeached, see Con- 
stitution of Georgia, Art. 3, Sec. Y., Par. III., IV., Y. 



The Railroad Co31missio:n. 



323 



Senate, presided over by Chief Justice Warner, and the comp- 
troller was convicted. He was removed from office, and de- 
clared disqualified to hold office in Georgia during his life. 
Articles were also presented against the treasurer, but upon 
trial he was acquitted by the Senate. 




AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANIC ARTS COLLEGE, TIIOMASVILLE, GA. 



General John B. Gordon was elected United States senator 
by the legislature of 1878. 

In virtue of the power conferred by the Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1877, to regulate the freight and passenger tariff of 
the railroads of the State, the legislature of 1879 joassed an act, 
creating the offices of Commissioners of Railroads. Under 



324 HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 

this act Governor Colquitt appointed ex-Governor James M. 
Smith, Campbell Wallace, and Samuel Barnett as commis- 
sioners. Their work has been highly beneficial to the people 
and has increased the prosperity of the railroads. 

In September, 1879, additional branch colleges of Agricul- 
tural and Mechanic Ai'ts were opened, at Thomasville for South 
Georgia and at Cuthbert for West Georgia. In 1880 a branch 
college for Middle Georgia was opened at Milledgeville, in the 
old State Capitol. A picture of this historic building has 
already been given. 

In May, 1880^ John B. Gordon resigned his seat in the 
United States Senate and Governor Colquitt appointed Joseph 
E. Brown to succeed him. The governor was severely criti- 
cised for this appointment, and his action formed an issue in 
the next electoral campaign. 

[Alfred H. Colquitt was born in Walton County, Georgia, in 1824, was 
graduated at Princeton in 1814, studied law, and was admitted to tlic 
bar in 1845. He served during the Mexican War as a staff officer, witli 
i-ank of major. In 1852 he was elected to Congress as a Democrat, and 
in 18G0 was a presidential elector on the Breckenridge ticket. lie was 
a member of the secession convention, entered the Confederate army, 
and reached the rank of major-general. He served six years as governor, 
and afterwards was elected a senator of the United Sates, serving until 
his death, Marcli, 1894.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was chosen governor in 1876 ? What convention met in July, 
1877 ? What changes were made in the constitution of the State? What 
city became the capital of Georgia ? What can you say of the Shorter 
College ? What investigation employed the legislature of 1878 ? What 
officers of the State were charged with fraud and with what result ? 
What did the constitution of 1877 require of the legislature regarding 
railroads ? Who were appointed commissioners by Governor Colquitt ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Constitution revised. 3. Comptroller-general impeached. 

2. Atlanta made the capital. 4. Railroad commission. 



CHAPTER LX. 

THE PROGRESS OF THE STATE. 

" War wasted lands 
Laden with ashes, gray and desolate- 
Touched by the charm of some regenerate fate — 
Fhish into golden harvests prodigal." 

—Paul H. Hayne. 

The Democratic State Convention which met in Atlanta^ 
in Angnst^ 1880, was one of the most remarkable ever held 
in Georgia. More than five hnndred delegates were present. 
There Avere five prominent candidates for governor, bnt the 
Colqnitt men were in the majority, and they organized the 
convention. They could have nominated their candidate, bnt 
they adopted a rule known as the " Two-thirds Rule,^^ which 
requires that the candidates nominated must receive two- 
thirds of the votes cast. This was always the rule before the 
war, but Covernor Smith had been nominated under the ma- 
jority rule. A bitter fight now commenced in the convention, 
and for six days ballots were taken. It made intense excite- 
ment, but the minority were practically unshaken. Finally 
on the sixth day, after thirty-six ballots, the majority of the 
convention, by resolution, recommended Governor Colquitt 
as candidate and adjourned without making a nomination. 
The minority held a meeting shortly afterward and nominated 
Thomas M. Norwood, of Savannah. Both sides were deter- 
mined to appeal to the people. 

In the contest that followed, the ablest men of the State 
were engaged, while Colquitt and Norwood had several joint 
discussions. Every act of Colquitt's was discussed, and par- 
ticularly his appointment of Brown as United States Senator. 



326 



HISTORY OF Georgia. 



When October came Colquitt won by a large majority and 
the legislature elected at the same time was in favor of Brown 
for Senator. 

The bitter feeling against Governor Brown was due to his 
position on reconstruction, and was inteusified by the fact that 
he held prosecuted the Columbus prisoners in 18G8. In that 
year a Republican named Ashburn was killed in Columbus, 
and a number of citizens were arrested. Bail was refused 

them, they were cruelly treated, 
and were about to be tried be- 
fore a military court, when 
General !^^eade retained Gov- 
ernor Brown as an attorney to 
prosecute them . A few months 
later the cases were transferred 
to the State courts, the prison- 
ers were released on bail, and 
finally acquitted. Governor 
Brown made no explanation at 
the time, but now he brought 
witnesses to ])voyq that he had 
accepted a retainer on condition 
that the cases should be transferred to the State courts, and in 
this way had saved the prisoners. 

In November, the legislature met and Governor Brown 
was elected United States Senator for the remainder of Gen- 
eral Gordon^s term. Governor Colquitt's message showed 
that his administration had been a success. All tlie indus- 
tries of tlie people were in satisfactory condition, and many 
new enterprises Avere springing up. The State's credit was 
good and the public debt was being reduced every year. 
The tax on railroad property had been collected, and sev- 
eral hundred thousand dollars were added to the State 
revenue. 

The census of 1880 showed tlie population of the State to 




TUOMAS M. NORWOOD. 



Cotton Exposition, 1881. 



327 



be one million, five liunclred and fifty-two thonsand, one 
Inindred and eighty, being an increase in ten years of over 
three hundred and fifty thousand. 

Under the new apportionment which was based upon this 
census, Georgia was entitled to ten representatives — a gain of 
one — in the Lower House of Congress. 

The year 1881 is memorable in the history of Georgia for 
the International Cotton Exposition, which was opened Octo- 
ber 5th, in Atlanta, by €rOvernor Colquitt with imposing cere- 
monies. It remained open till December 31st. The indus- 
tries of all the States were represented. The buildings, 
which cost $140,000, covered twenty acres, and two thousand 
exhibitors applied for space. It was an important event for 
Georgia, and considerably promoted the State's prosperity. 
Vast numbers came from all sections of the Union to witness 
the exhibition. Many of the visitors from other States de- 
cided to remain and invest capital in Georgia enterprises, 
while the Georgia people them- 
selves acquired enlarged views 
of the greatness of their State. 

After the Exposition closed, 
a number of the leading citi- 
zens of Atlanta formed a stock 
company and purchased the 
grounds and buildings. The 
largest of these buildings was 
fitted up as a cotton factory, 
and called the Exposition 
Mills. 

Benjamin Harvey Hill, 
Georgian's distinguished son 

and senior senator, died in August, 1882. The legislature 
elected Pope Barrow, of Athens, to fill the remainder of his 
term in the United States Senate, and Alfred II. Colquitt 
to succeed him for the full term, six years, from March 4th, 




JAMES JACKSON. 



328 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



1883. James Jackson was elected Chief Justice to succeed 
Hiram Warner. 

In October, 1882, Alexander II. Stephens was elected 
governor. He was inaugurated 
in November. His election was a 
mark of popular esteem and ap- 
preciation of his great public ser- 
vices through a long life. 

He was now past seventy years 
of age, and apparently still pos- 
sessed a clear mind and great 
energy. But in a few months he 
was stricken Avith an illness from 
which he never recovered. He 
died on March 4, 1883. 

On the death of Stephens, 
James S. Boynton, president of the Senate, became gov- 
ernor to fill the office until an election could be held. The 
election took place soon after, and resulted in the choice 
of Henry D. McDaniel as governor for the unexpired term. 




JAMES S. BOYNTON. 



[The candidates before the memoral)le convention of 1880 were : Col. 
Rufus E. Lester of Savannah, Thos. Hardeman of Macon, Gen. L. J. 
Gartrell of Atlanta, Hiram Warner of Meriwether County, and A. II. 
Colquitt. The vote on the first ballot was as follows : Colquitt 208f, 
Lester 58 1^, Hardeman 54f-, Gartrell 11\, Warner 11. Colquitt lacked 35 
votes of having the two-thirds majority required by the rule. On the last 
ballot Colquitt's vote was 220, 14 less than two-thirds.] 

[Thomas M. Norwood was born in Talbot County in 1830 ; attended 
school at Culloden, Monroe County, and graduated at Emory College, 
Oxford, 1850. He was admitted to the bar in 1852 and afterward moved 
to Savannah, where he has lived ever since. He was a member of the legis- 
lature in 1861 ; in 1871 he was elected United States Senator and served 
until March 3, 1877. He is well known as a writer.] 

[James S. Boynton was born in Henry County, in 1833. He grew up 
on a farm, getting such education as he could from the country schools 



Biographies and Questions. 329 

of the time. In 1852 he was admitted to the bar. He practised law in 
Jasper and Butts Counties. He entered the Confederate service and was 
colonel of the 30th Georgia Infantry. After the war he resumed the 
practice of the law in Griffin. In 1880 and 1883, he was elected to the 
Senate of the State, and made president of that body. After serving as 
governor he was a judge of the Superior Court.] 

[Pope Barrow, a grandson of a Virginia soldier of the Revolution, was 
born in Georgia. He entered the Confederate Army as second lieuten- 
%.nt of artillery and served through the war, rising to the rank of cap- 
tain ; represented Clarke County in the State legislature and in the 
Constitutional Convention of 1877 ; and was United States Senator from 
Georgia. His home is in Savannah, where he is a leading member of the 
bar.] 

[James Jackson was born in Jefferson County in 1819. He graduated 
at the University in 1837, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 
1840. He was elected judge of the Superior Court in 1846, and remained 
on the bench until 1859, when he resigned to go to Congress. After the 
war he practised law in Macon until 1875, when he was appointed judge 
of the Supreme Court. In 1880 he became chief justice, which office he 
held until his death in 1887.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What can you say of the Democratic State Convention of 1880 ? How 
many candidates were before the Convention? How many ballots were 
taken? What was finally done by the majority? Whom did the minority 
nominate? What of the contest which followed? What was the result 
of the election? What did the Governor's message of 1880 show? Tell 
what you can of the Cotton Exposition in 1881. Who was elected gov- 
ernor to succeed Colquitt? What sad event happened soon after? Who 
became governor after the death of Stephens? Who was elected governor 
by the people to fill the unexpired term? 

TOPICS. 

1. Campaign of 1880, 4. Stephens elected governor. 

2. Cotton Exposition of 1881. 5. Boynton governor. 

3. Senatorial changes. 6. McDaniel governor. 



CHAPTER LXI. 



ADMINISTRATION OF McDANIEL. 




GOVERNOR h; D. McDANIEL. 



" Let lis resolve, each in his appropriate sphere, to contribute all in our power to proniot* 
the happiness and prosperity of all the people of the State, by insuring to them the im- 
partial execution of just law. ''-Gov. H. D. McDaniel. 

Henry D. McDaniel was inau- 
gurated governor on the lOtli of 
May, 1883, in the presence of the 
legislature, which then adjourned. 
The legislature convened again in 
July. Among the important acts 
passed during its session was one 
appropriating a million dollars for a 
State Capitol, in Atlanta. The build- 
ing which has since been erected is a 
magnificent and beautiful structure. 
It is situated on one of the squares 
of the city. The material is limestone, with Georgia granite 
for the foundation and base, and marble for the interior. 

The construction of the building was placed in the hands 
of a commission consisting of Governor McDaniel, Captain 
Evan P. Howell, General Phil Cook, General E. P. Alexander, 
and W. W. Thomas. It was completed and occupied in 1880. 
After it was finished afcAV dollars of the appropriation Avere still 
left unexpended, and it is said to be the only State capitol ever 
built, the cost of which did not exceed the appropriation. 

The legislature of 1884 reelected Joseph E. Brown United 
States Senator for a full twm of six years. 

The legislature of 1885 passed an act autliorizing the 
establishment of a School of Technology, as a branch of the 



oo2 History of Georgia. 

State University. The sum of $G5,000 was appropriated for 
erecting and equipping the Ijuiklings for the new depart- 
ment. This school, which is located in Atlanta, contains a 
foundry and machine shops, for instruction in all kinds of 
metal and wood working. There are also courses in draw- 
ing, science, mathematics, and other branches necessary to 
make a young man an intelligent and skilful mechanic. 

The most important measure passed by the legislature of 
1885, was a general local o2)tion law. This law provided that 
upon aj)plication by petition signed by one-tenth of the 
voters in any county, the Court of Ordinary should order an 
election to be held to determine whether or not intoxicating 
liquors should be sold in the county. Before the j^assing of 
this general local option law, applications for holding such 
elections used to be made to the legislature, and many courts 
and districts had voted in favor of prohibition. 

[Plenry D, McDaniel was born in Monroe, Walton County, in 1837. 
He graduated at Mercer University, studied law and practised in Mon- 
roe, He was the youngest member of the Secession Convention in 1861. 
He was in the Confederate army, and commanded a brigade at Gettys- 
burg. After tlie war he was elected to the legislature and became chair- 
man of tlie Finance Committee. He was autlior of a law for the taxation 
of raih-oads, tliat lias been adopted in other States. After his term of of- 
fice, he resumed the practice of law in Monroe.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was inaugurated Governor in 1883 ? What act was passed by the 
legislature in July? Tell about the construction of the State capitol. 
Tell about the School of Technology. What important measure was 
passed by the legislature of 1885? What did the law provide? 

TOPICS. 

1. McDaniel inaugurated. 3. The School of Technology. 

2. The New Cai)itol. 4. Local Option I^aw. 



CHAPTER LXII. 



ADMIiTISTRATION OF GORDON. 



"From political confusion, angry controversies, and bloody conflicts have come a 
national life more robust, a national peace more real and a national union more enduring." 
—Gen. John B. Gordon. 



Ok October 0^ 1880, General 
John B. Gordon was elected gov- 
ernor. His service in the war 
and in the Senate, his high char- 
acter, and his genial manner had 
endeared him to the people. 

At the election of 1886, the 
people ratified an amendment to 
the State Constitntion, giving the 
legislature power to levy a tax for 
suppl3^ing soldiers who had lost a 
limb or limbs in the military ser- 
vice of the Confederate States 
and to 




GENERAL JOHN : 
(From a photograph, 



with artificial limbs 
make provision for Confeder- 
ate soldiers who had been 
disabled in the war. 

In August, 1887, an inter- 
state convention of farmers 
was held in Atlanta. Repre- 
sentatives from all the South- 
ern States were present. The 
causes of the agricultural de- 
pression were discussed, and 
remedies proposed. 



Mcrii 




LOUAN E. BLECKLEY. 



334 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



A resolution was passed recommending that '' the National 
Department of Agriculture be advanced to the dignity of a cab- 
inet position." This has since been done, and a Minister of 

Agriculture is n ow 
one of the mem- 
bers of the Presi- 
dent's cal)iiu't. 




NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE FOR GIRLS, MILLEDGEVILLE. 



At the ses- 
sion of the 
legislature in 
October, 
1887, Logan 
E. Bleckley 
was elected 
Chief Justice 
of the Su- 
preme Court, 
to succeed 
Judge James Jackson, who died in the previous January. 

At the election in October, 1888, Governor Gordon was re- 
elected without opposition. 

In 1889 the legislature passed an act providing for tlie 
establishment of a Normal and Industrial College for Girls. 
The institution is located at Milledgeville. Its course of in- 
struction includes stenography, bookkeeping, telegraphing, 
dressmaking, cooking, music, and art. One of the college 
buildings is the Mansion, which for many years was the resi- 
dence of the governors of the State. 



Annual Expositions, 



335 



Annual expositions were 
commenced, in 1887 in Atlanta 
and Augusta. President Cleve- 
land and his wife visited the 
Atlanta Exposition in 1887. 

The death of the young 
journalist and orator, Henry 
W. Grady, wliich occurred in 
1889 in Atlanta, caused pro- 
found grief throughout the 
country. Memorial meetings 
were held in many places. A 
statue has heen erected to his 

memory in Atlanta, and the Grady Hospital in that city is 

named in his honor. 




HERNY W. GRADY. 



[Henry W. Grady was born in Athens, 1851. He was graduated at 
the State University of Virginia. Upon his return to Georgia he took 
up the profession of journaHsm. He was an able writer and an eloquent 
public speaker. Some of his speeches attracted national attention, no- 
tably that on the " The New South" delivered in New York ; that on " The 
South, Her Problems," delivered at Dallas, Texas; and the speeches at 
Plymouth Rock and Boston. He died on December 21, 1889.] 

[Logan E. Bleckley was born in Rabun County, in 1827. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar at 19 years of age, and in 1851 he began to practise law 
in Atlanta. In 1853 he was elected judge of the Coweta Circuit, and 
served for four years. In 1875 he was appointed to the Supreme Court.] 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was elected governor in 188G ? What amendment to the Consti- 
tution was ratified at the same election ? What convention was held in 
Atlanta in 1887? Who was elected chief justice in 1887? What college 
was created by the legislature in 1889? What of Henry W. Grady? 



1. Gordon elected governor. 

2. The injured soldiers. 



TOPICS. 

3. Farmers' Convention. 

4. Normal and Industrial College. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 



ADMINISTRATION^ OF GOVERNOR NORTIIEN. 



"In the light of the blessed present, gather strength and courage for the possibilities of 
the future. Loving all that is good, despising nothing but evil, in the fullest sympathy 
for the misfortunes of each other, and in united jjurijose for the good of tiie State, let us 
strike together as with one arm for home, for humanity, and for the right." — William J. 

NOKTIIEN. 




'^^i\ "* f* 






GOVEKNOIi WILLIAM 




William J. Northen, Presi- 
dent of the State Agricultural 
Society, was candidate for the 
Democratic nomination for gov- 
ernor. The Farmers' Alliance en- 
dorsed him, and he was nominated 
and elected without opposition, 
a very unusual thing in our State. 
The Farmers' Alliance was a 
society to advance the interests of 
farmers, and one of its purposes 
was to secure better laws. As 
Georgia is a great agricultural 
State, the Alliance soon had 
a large membership in every 
county, and exercised great in- 
fluence in political affairs. 

The twenty-year lease of the 
AVestern and Atlantic Kailroad 
expired in 1890, and the disposi- 
tion of this property excited great 
interest for some time. The 
legislature finally decided to 
lease the property again, and in 
June of that year the bid of the Nashville, Chattanooga and 




CUAI4LES F. CKlSr. 



Census of 1890. 



337 



St. Louis Railway was accepted. The State still oavus the 

road^ and the Eailway Oomj^any pays a rental of 135,000 a 

month for twenty-nine years. 

The legislature in November elected General Gordon the 

third time to the United States Senate to succeed Governor 

Brown, who declined 
a reelection. 

By the census of 
1890 the population 
of tlie State was one 
million eig-ht liun- 




''TATE KOKAIAL SCHOOL, ATHENS. 



dred a«iid thirty-seven tuousand three hundred and fifty-three, 
an increase of nearly three hundred thousand in ten years. 
Under the new apportionment Georgia gained another mem- 
ber in Congress. 

When the new Congress assembled in 1891, Judge Charles 
F. Crisp, of Americus, was elected Speaker of the House of 
Representatives. He had for some years been recognized as 
a leader in that body, and as its presiding officer he won the 
approval of the whole country. 

A State Normal School for the training of teachers was 
provided for by the legislature in 1891, and located at 
Athens, in the building known as Rock College, and occu- 
pied formerly as an experiment station for students of agri- 



3'6H 



HISTORY OF UEORGIA. 



culture at the University. The Normal School is under 
the control of a special commission, and is a branch of the 
State University. For the first three years it was oj^en only 
during the summer, but in 1895 arrangements were made 
for a full session, and the doors were opened on the 17th 
of April of tliat year. 

The same legislature in 1891 made the first Monday in 
September, Labor Day, a legal holiday in tlie State. 

In May, 1891, many of the leaders of the Farmers' Alliance 
of the United States formed a new party which they named 

the People's Party, though it 
is sometimes called the Popu- 
list or Third Party. Many 
. members of the Alliance in 
Georgia joined this party, and 
Thomas E. AVatson, of Thom- 
son, an able lawyer and mem- 




nOKE SMITH. 



ber of Congress, became its 
leader in the State. At the 
election for governor in 1892 
the People's Party nominated 
AV. L. Peek as a candidate, but 
Governor Northen, the Demo- 
cratic nominee, was reelected. 
At the same time the people 
ratified an amendment to the State Constitution which pro- 
vides for a session of tlie legislature every year instead of 
every two years. Each session is limited to fifty days, and 
begins on the fourth AVednesday in October. 

The most exciting contest in the State in 1892 was in the 
Tenth Congressional District, between J. C. C. Black, 
Democrat, and Thomas E. AVatson, leader of the People's 
Party. It attracted the attention of the whole country. 
Black was declared elected. AVatson contested the election 
before Congress, but Black retained liis seat. 



SUI^A TORIAL A PP0INr3IENTS. 



339 



In recent years the electoral vote of Georgia has always 
been given for the Democratic candidate for President of 
the United States, and in 1802 this vote was given to Grover 
Cleveland. He selected Hoke 
Smith, of Atlanta, one of the 
leading lawyers of the State, 
as a member of his Cabinet. 

Senator Colquitt died in 
March, 1894, and Governor 
Northen appointed as his suc- 
cessor Judge Crisp, who felt 
it his duty to decline because 
he was then Speaker of the 
House of Eepresentatives of 
Congress, and leading mem- 
bers of that body urged that 
he could not be spared. The 
governor then appointed Pat- 
rick Walsh, of Augusta, well 
known as editor of the Chronicle and Constitution. 




PATRICK WALSH. 



[William J. Northen was born in Jones County, Georgia, July ,8, 
1835. He was graduated at Mercer University in 1853. He began 
teaching school in 1854. After the war he returned to Hancock County 
and taught school until 1874, when, because of ill health, he went to 
farming. He was in the State Democratic Convention of 1867, repre- 
sentative from Hancock County in the General Assembly of 1877, 1878, 
1879, and in the notable gubernatorial convention of 1880. He was 
representative again in 1881, and Senator in 1884-85.] 



[Charles Frederick Crisp was born in Sheffield, England, on January 
29, 1845. His parents were Americans temporarily sojourning in Eng- 
land, and they returned to this country in 1846. At the close of the 
war he began the study of law and was admitted to the bar. In 
1872 he was appointed solicitor-general of the southwestern district, 
and served until 1877, when he was appointed Judge of the Superior 
Court. He resigned this office to become a candidate for Congress from 



340 HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 

the Third Georgia district. lie was Speaker of the Fifty-second and 
Fifty-third Congress. He died in Atlanta in 189G.] 

[Hoke Smith was born in North Carolina September 1, 1855. He 
located in Atlanta, where he read law and was admitted to the bar. 
From the first he was successful, and soon rose to front rank as a lawyer. 
He bought the Atlanta Journal, but continued his profession. During 
the campaign of 1892 he was recognized as the leader of the Cleveland 
party in the State. He was appointed secretary of the interior in 
Cleveland's Cabinet, and served with distinction until July, 1896, when 
he resigned because he intended to vote for the nominee of the Chicago 
Democratic Convention although he did not approve the platform.] 

[Thomas E. Watson was born in Columbia County, Georgia, Septem- 
ber 5, 1856, and entered Mercer University in 1873. Leaving college 
July, 1874, he became a school teacher in Screven County. lie was ad- 
mitted to the bar in Augusta in 1875, and located at Thomson in Novem- 
ber, 1876. He was a member of the Georgia legislature in 1882, and 
was elected to Congress in 1890. In 1896 he was the nominee of the 
People's Party for Vice-President.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What of Governor Northen's election? What was the object of the 
Farmers- Alliance? What about the Western and Atlantic Railroad in 
1890? Who was elected to the United States Senate to succeed Governor 
Brown? Wliat was the population of Georgia in 1890? What prominent 
Georgian was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1891? 
What school was established by the legislature in 1891? What new 
political party was formed in 1891? Who was its leader in Georgia? 
What amendment to the State Constitution was ratified in 1892? What 
Georgian was made a member of President Cleveland's Cabinet? What 
senator died in 1894, and who was appointed to succeed him? 

TOPICS. 

1. Northen governor. 4. State Normal School. 

2. Farmers' Alliance. 5. Peoi)le's party. 

3. Western and Atlantic Railroad. 6. National elections. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 



ADMIN-ISTRATION" OF GOYERNOE:jja.TKIKSON-. 

"He who serves the people wisely, courageously and unselfishly, will receive his re- 
ward in the merited esteem of his countrymen, who will love him for the enemies 
which he may have made in his devotion to duty."— W. Y. Atkinson. 

Ik 1894 two candidates ap- 
peared for the Democratic 
nomination for governor — 
W. Y. Atkinson, Speaker of 
the House of Eepresentatives, 
and General Clement A. 
Evans. After a series of joint 
debates and a few months' 
vigorous campaign, it became 
evident that a majority of 
the delegates were for Atkin- 
son. General Evans withdrew 
in the interest of party har- 
mony, and Atkinson was 
nominated. 
The Republicans put no State ticket in the field. The 
nominee of the People's Party was Judge James K. Hines. 
The total vote cast at the election in October was the largest 
in the history of the State, being nearly 218,000. Atkinson 
was elected and inaugurated. 

When the legislature met Mr. Walsh was elected United 
States senator for the unexpired term of Senator Colquitt, 
and Augustus 0. Bacon, of Macon, was elected to succeed 
him for the full term. The legislature also elected Judge 
Thomas J. Simmons, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 




GOVERNOE W. T. ATKINSON. 



342 



HISTORY OF Georgia. 




AUGUSTUS O. BAeON. 



to succeed Judge Bleckley, 
who had resigned. 

A noted contest for election 
of Member of Congress oc- 
curred in the Tenth Congres- 
sional District between James 
C. C. Blacky of Augusta, the 
Democratic candidate, and 
Thomas E. Watson, of Thom- 
son, the Populist candidate. 
The majority of votes was 
counted for Black, but each 
party admitting that there had 
been fraud on its side, he agreed 
that there should be another 
election. The legislature of 1894 made an election law that 
insured fairness, and in the second election, which was held 
early in 1895, Black was chosen by a majority of 1,002. 

In 1895 the International and Cotton States Exposition 
was held in Atlanta, and all the industries and resources 
of the South were fully represented. This fair ranks 
among the greatest that have 
been held in the country. 
There were exhibits from all 
over the Union, aiul from 
South American and foreign 
countries. The number of 
visitors was very great. The 
Exposition opened Septem- 
ber 18, and closed December 
31. 

In 1890 Governor Atkinson 
was reelected, his opponent 
being Seaborn Wright, candi- 
date of the People's j^arty. 




THOMAS J. bUUilONS. 



Public School Syste3l 



343 




The legislature of 1896 elected Alexander S. Clay, of 
Marietta, United States Senator for six years, from March 4, 
1897, to succeed John B. Gordon. 

Great progress has been made in education during the past 
few years. The public school 
system was begun in 1871, 
under General J. K. Lewis, as 
State school commissioner. 
In January, 1872, General 
Lewis was succeeded by Gus- 
tavus J. Orr, who was called 
the father of common schools 
in Georgia. Dr. Orr retained 
the place until his death in 
1887, and was succeeded by 
Judge James S. Hook. Gov- 
ernor Northen appointed S. 

D. Bradwell to the office, who 
in turn was succeeded by G. 

E. Glenn under Governor Atkinson^s administration. During 
all these years the system has grown steadily. At first there 
was only a three months' term of school every year, but now 
a six months' term is the rule throughout the State, and in 
the cities, where the State fund is supplemented by a local 
fund, the schools are open nine months. The school fund 
amounts from all sources to nearly a million and a half dollars 
per annum. There are about ten thousand teachers who in- 
struct a half million of children. 

Here our history comes to a close for the present. We 
have reviewed the glorious past of our State ; we have traced 
its development, and followed its progress to prosperity 
through many difficulties and dangers. The little seed 
planted at Yamacraw has grown to be a great tree. The 
small settlement has swelled into an Empire State. With 
patriotic pride we contemplate its present glory, and antici- 



ALEXANDER STEPHENS CLAT. 



3U History of Georgia. 

pate still greater achievements, tending to the increased wel- 
fare and happiness of our people, in the time to come. 

[Augustus 0. Bacon was born in Bryan County in 1839. In 1860 he 
graduated at the law school of the University and began practising law 
in Atlanta. In May, 1861, he joined the army. After the war he went 
to Macon and resumed the practice of the law. In 1870 he was elected 
to the legislature, and in 1873 was chosen Speaker, which office he held 
for a number of years. He was the most prominent candidate for gov- 
ernor in 1886. and his nomination was conceded until a few months be- 
fore the election, when General Gordon entered the race and was nomi- 
nated. He was elected Senator in 1894.] 

[Thos. J. Simmons was born in Crawford County in 1837. His early 
education was received at the common schools of the neighborhood and 
completed at LaGrange. He began the practice of the law in 1857 at 
Knoxville. He served in the Confederate Army, reaching the rank of 
lieutenant-colonel. After the war he moved to Macon. He was a mem- 
ber of the legislature for several years, serving two terms as president 
of the Senate. In 1887 he was elected to the Supreme Court to fill the 
vacancy caused by the death of Judge Hall.] 

[W. Y. Atkinson was born in Meriwether County in 1854. He was a 
graduate of the State University and began to practise law in Newnan. 
He was elected to the legislature from Coweta County, and was speaker 
of that body during the session of 1892-93. He was chairman of the 
State Executive Democratic Committee in 1892.] 

[Alexander S. CJay was born in Cobb County in 1853. He received his 
education at Hiwassee College, and began to practise law in Marietta in 
1887. In 1884 he represented Cobb County in the legislature. In 1888 
he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1890 he was 
chosen to the State Senate, and was elected president of that body. In 
1894 he was chosen chairman of the State Democratic Committee.] 

QUESTIONS. 

What two Democratic candidates appeared for nomination for gov- 
ernor in 1894 ? Who was nominated ? Who was the nominee of the 
People's party? Who was elected? Tell about the contest for Congress 
in the Tenth District? Tell of the Exposition in Atlanta in 1895. Who 
was elected governor in 1896? Who senator ? What of public schools ? 

TOPICS. 

1. Atkinson elected governor. 3. Atlanta Exposition. 

2. Contest in the Tenth District. 4. Public schools. 



APPENDIX. 



TOPOGKAPHY. 

Position.— Georgia lies between 30° 21' 39' and 35° north latitude, 
and 80° 51' 43 " and 84° 45' 21" longitude west from Greenwich ; or 3° 48' 
41" and 7° 42' 19" west from Washington city. Its greatest length from 
north to south is 320 miles, and its greatest width from east to west, 254 
miles. 

Boundary. — The State is bounded on the north by Tennessee and 
North Carolina, on the east by the Savannah River and the Atlantic 
Ocean, on the south by Florida, and on the west by Alabama and 
Florida. 

Area. — The area of Georgia is 58,000 square miles, or 37,120,000 
acres. It was the largest of the ' ' thirteen original " States. It now 
ranks ninth in size in the United States. Its geographical centre is 
about twenty miles below Macon. 

Surface. — The surface is mountainous in the northern part, low and 
level in the middle and southern parts, and low and swampy along the 
coast and the Florida border. Northeast Georgia has the greatest 
elevation above the sea, the average being 1,500. There are peaks 
that rise nearly as high as 4,800 feet. These belong to the Blue Ridge 
and Alleghany Mountains. Mount Enotah, in Towns County, 4,796 feet 
high, is the tallest peak in the State. In this section are the beauti- 
ful Falls of Toccoa and Tallulah and the famous Valley of Nacoochee. 
Northwest Georgia is not so mountainous as northeast. Its average 
elevation is 750 feet above the sea. Middle Georgia, extending from 
the Savannah to the Chattahoochee River, has an average elevation of 
750 feet, ^he lands are generally level. Southwest Georgia is of a 
greatly rolling surface, free from rocks, and is covered with vast tracts 
of long-leaf pine, commonly called "Georgia pine." Southeast Georgia 
has a low, level surface, averaging 175 feet above sea-level. In the 
southeast corner is Okefinokee swamp. It has a circumference of 180 



ii RIVERS AND HARBORS. 

miles. It is filled with pools and small islands, and is the home of 
snakes and alligators. 

Rivers. — The watershed which extends from the northeast corner of 
the State down to Atlanta, divides the rivers, sending some to the Gulf 
of Mexico and others to the Atlantic Ocean. There are upwards of 
fifty streams large enough to be classed as rivers. It is estimated that 
the water-power of the State would be sufficient for the manufacture of all 
the cotton grown in the world, or to grind all the grain produced in 
the United States. Following is a list of the chief navigable rivers : 



Name. 


Len( 


iTH : 


Navigable to 


Savannah 


450 miles 


Augusta 


Ogeechee 


200 




Louisville 


Oconee 


300 




Milledgeville 


Ocmulgee 


400 




Macon 


Flint 


800 




Albany 


Altamaha 


TO 




Entire length 


Chattahoochee 


420 




Columbus 



Coast. — The coast is very irregularly indented. It has a shore-line on 
the Atlantic Ocean of 480 miles, running a southwest direction for 128 
miles. 

Harbors. — The principal seacoast harbors are Savannah, Darien, 
Brunswick, and St. Mary's. The bar of Savannah has nineteen feet of 
water ; that of Sapelo, at the entrance of the Altamaha, fourteen feet ; 
Brunswick, seventeen feet ; St. Mary's, fourteen feet. An extensive 
shipping trade is carried on at Brunswick and Savannah. 

Islands. — The coast is skirted by a number of islands which are low, 
flat, and sandy. Cumberland Island, thirty miles long, is covered with 
magnificent oak forests, and lined with palms, palmettos, and shrubbery. 
The other principal islands are Ossabaw, St. Catherine's, Sapelo, St. 
Simon's, and Jekyl. 

Sounds.— The principal sounds are St. Andrew's, St. Simon's, Alta- 
maha, Doboy, Sapelo, St. Catherine, and Ossabaw. 

Climate. — The mountains, hills, plains, and lowlands of Georgia give 
to the State nearly every variety of climate. The summer's heat and the 
winter's cold are tempered by breezes from the Gulf of Mexico and the 



History of Georgia. iii 

Atlantic Ocean. The average summer temperature in the northern part 
of the State is 72° ; the winter temperature, 32°. In the southern sections 
the summer temperature is 80°; the winter, 52°. The average annual 
temperature of the State is 60°. 

So mild and equable is the climate that Georgia is a favorite resort 
for invalids from Northern States, who in the winter time come in large 
numbers to Savannah, Augusta, Thomasville, and other places. 

Rainfall. — The average rainfall is about forty-eight inches per year. 
The prevailing winds come from the southeast and southwest and dis- 
tribute the rains, thus preventing severe drought. 

Soil. — In the northern part of the State the soil is composed of dis- 
integrated limestones and shales of the silurian and carboniferous for- 
mations, decomposed granites, gneiss, and schist. In the central 
portion of the State the red clays and gray soils are composed of dis- 
integrated feldspar, with potash. The red hills of Georgia have become 
famous. In southern Georgia the soil is of limestone, marl, rich allu- 
vium, and sandy tracts. In southeast Georgia the soil is loam or sand, 
with a red or yellow clay subsoil. These soils are all productive, and 
yield large crops. 

PRODUCTS. 

Agricultural Products. — There is nothing grown in any State of 
the Union, with the exception, perhaps, of Florida, that cannot be raised 
in Georgia. Cotton is the great agricultural product of the State. Be- 
fore the Civil War one-sixth of the total cotton crop of the United 
States was grown in Georgia. Xow 3,000,000 acres are planted each year, 
producing about 1,000,000 bales, valued at |35,000,000. A special prod- 
uct of the State is the celebrated sea-island or long-staple cotton. With 
the exception of a small quantity raised in South Carolina and Florida, 
nearly all of this valuable variety produced in the United States is 
grown in Georgia, chiefly on the islands along the seacoast. 

Other agricultural products of the State are corn, oats, w^heat, rice, 
rye, wool, flax, hemp, jute, silk, sugar-cane, tobacco, tea, indigo, peas, 
Leans, and all kinds of garden vegetables. In the southern portion of 
the State vegetables can be raised in winter. 

Fruits.— Fruits of all kinds known in the temperate zone grow in 
Georgia. The apple, peach, pear, grape, fig, pomegranate, cherry, plum, 
raspberry, strawberry, and olive are produced in large quantities. 



iv WOODS A2\D MINERALS. 

Oranges, bananas, lemons, and pecans grow on the coast. Watermelons 
and cantaloupes, famous for kind and quality, are raised in the midland 
districts. 

Wood. — About two hundred and thirty varieties of wood grow in 
Georgia. There are extensive pine forests on the coast and in the 
southern districts, and the live oaks in the vicinity of Brunswick supply 
the most valuable ship timber found in the United States. This indus- 
try is worth over $2,000,000 annually. Georgia pine is much esteemed 
and largely used for doors, mantels, staircases, and other house furnish- 
ings. It has a beautiful color of rich red or yellow. There is an inex- 
haustible supply of the finest kind of this wood in the forests of middle 
and lower Georgia. In the swamp there are immense quantities of 
cypress, used for shingles ; palmetto, used for wharf piles, and other fine 
woods. Its timber is valued at |5, 000, 000. Besides these, the woods 
and forests of Georgia produce in large abundance walnut, poplar, oak 
of all kinds, chestnut, hickory, cedar, sweet gum, ash, elm, maple, 
beech, magnolia, Cottonwood, and sycamore. 

Pasturage. — The variety of grasses native to Georgia is very large, 
offering the best facilities for sheep and cattle raising. Blue grass, 
Bermuda grass, the celebrated wire grass, and other varieties, and many 
kinds of pens, and young cane, afford a rich pasturage for cattle. In 
Georgia stock-raising and dairy-farming are rapidly becoming industries 
of importance. The value of live stock in the State is nearly $27,500,000. 

Minerals. — The gold-producing region of the State is chiefly in the 
counties of Lumpkin, Habersham, Forsyth, and Hall. Before gold 
was discovered in California the ''placers'' in northern Georgia were 
worked with much profit, the metal being found in the streams and 
mixed up with the quartz rocks of the hills. In 1853 the Dahlonega 
mint coined gold bullion of nearly half a million dollars' value. At 
present the gold-mining produces about $80,000 annually. In the 
northwest corner of the State, along the ridges between the Alabama and 
Tennessee borders, there are immense beds of coal. Iron ore is also 
found in this district. The annual output of coal and iron amounts to 
many thousand tons. Stone Mountain, in DeKalb County, twenty 
niiles from Atlanta, is' the largest mass of rock in the world. It has 
quarries of granite that makes the best paving for streets, as well as 
excellent building stone. Copper, silver, and lead ores are found in 
the Cohutta Mountains. In the Blue Bidge is a vein of marble. Other 
minerals of north Georgia are manganese, kaolin, asbestos, mica, and 
soapstone, besides the diamond, ruby, amethyst, and opal, Avhich have 



HISTORY OF GEORGIA. V 

been found in the mountains. The total capital invested in mining in 
the State is about |270,000. 

INDUSTKIES. 

Manufactures. — The chief manufactures are of cotton goods. There 
are over fifty cotton factories in the State, with an aggregate capital 
of $12,000,000, giving employment to over 10,000 hands, and turning 
out goods to the annual value of nearly $13,000,000. The largest of the 
establishments are the Eagle and Phoenix Mills, at Columbus ; the Sibley 
Mills, the King Mills, and the Augusta Factory, at Augusta. The 
cotton factories consume fourteen per cent, of the cotton product of 
the State, or 140,000 bales annually. Among the other manufacturing 
industries, there are grain mills, lumber mills, turpentine mills, and 
ironworks. Altogether there are $20,000,000 invested in manufactories 
in the State, employing 30,000 hands, and producing goods to the annual 
value of $40,000,000. 

Commerce. — The favorable location, extensive railroad system, and the 
numerous navigable streams of Georgia, give it great advantages for 
commerce. Situated between the North and Southwest and between 
th^ West and Atlantic harbors, traffic between those sections passes 
through the State. Atlanta and Savannah are the principal commercial 
centres. The chief articles of export are cotton, lumber, rice, fruits, and 
grain. The value of the foreign commerce of the State is estimated at 
$25,000,000 a year. One hundred vessels of over 2,000 tons burden are 
employed in the foreign and coast trade. 

Railroads. — There are over forty railroad companies in Georgia, and 
over 5,000 miles of railroad, the value of which is $62,000,000. Every 
part of the State is intersected by lines of railroad, and thus opened to 
commerce. Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, and Augusta are the 
chief railroad centres. 

The taxable property of Georgia is nearly $500,000,000. 

CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 

Constitution. — The present constitution was adopted in 1877. Among 
its most important provisions are the following : 

Rights of Citizens, — No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or 
property, but by due process of law ; the writ of habeas corpus shall not 
be suspended ; no person shall be prohibited from holding any public 
office on account of his religion ; slavery is prohibited ; there shall be no 



vi Departments of Goverkment, 

imprisonment for debt ; people shall have the right to keep and bear 
arms ; all lotteries are prohibited ; lobbying is a crime. 

Electoral Laws. — All elections shall be by ballot. With the excep- 
tion of penitentiary convicts and insane persons, every male citizen of 
the United States, twenty-one years of age, resident of the State one 
year, and of the county six months, and liaving paid all taxes required 
of him, is entitled to vote at all elections. Persons holding public money 
unaccounted for, or convicted of duelling, shall not be eligible to office. 
On election days the sale of intoxicating drinks is forbidden within two 
miles of the polls. 

The Legislature. — The general assembly consists of two houses : the 
senate and the house of representatives. The senate has forty-four 
members, and the house one hundred and seventy-five ; the members of 
both are elected every two years. The sessions of the assembly are annual, 
beginning on the second Wednesday in November, and continuing for 
fifty days. The senate is presided over by a president, and the house of 
representatives by a speaker, each elected from and by the members of 
each house respectively. 

The legislature has the power of making laws. Every bill, before it 
becomes a law, must be read three times, on three separate days, in eaj h 
house, and then receive a majority of the votes of the members present, 
and be approved by the governor. The governor may veto, or disap- 
prove of a bill. In this case it may still become law by having a two- 
thirds majority in both houses. The salary of members of the assembly 
is $4 per day, and they are allowed ten cents a mile for travelling ex- 
penses to and from each session. 

Executive Power. — The officers of the executive department are the 
governor, secretary of State, comptroller-general, and treasurer. The 
governor is elected every two years, and he has a salary of $3,000 per 
annum. He must be not under thirty years of age, must be a citizen of 
the L'nited States for fifteen years, and of the State for six years. In case 
of the death of the governor, the president of the senate occupies the 
office until the next election. The governor is the commander-in-chief 
of the army and militia of the State. He has the power of granting 
pardons, except for treason and in cases of impeachment, and has the 
power of vetoing bills passed by the general assembly. 

Judiciary. — The judicial powers are vested in one supreme court, 
twenty-three superior courts, courts of ordinary, and courts in each 
county. Tlie supreme court consists of a chief justice and two associate 
justices, elected by the legislature for a term of six years. It sits only 



HliSTORY OF GEORGIA, 



vu 



at the capital, and on appeal corrects errors of the inferior courts. For 
each of the twenty-three judicial circuits there is a superior court 
judge elected by the legislature for a terra of four years. These must sit 
at least twice a year in each county. In some of the larger cities there 
is a city court, which ranks with the superior court within the corpora- 
tion limits. The court of ordinary in each county has charge of the 
probation of wills and the management of estates, and usually has juris- 
diction over roads, bridges, public buildings, etc., but in some counties 
these are in the hands of the county commissioners. There are one 
justice of the peace and one notary public in each militia district. 

Taxes may be levied by the general assembly for support of the State 
government ; for educational purposes ; and to pay interest and princi- 
pal of the public debt. 

Georgia has two senators and eleven representatives in the Congress of 
the United States. The senators are elected by the legislature for a 
term of six years. The representatives are chosen every two years by 
the people, one from each congressional district. 

The State is divided into eleven congressional districts, forty-four sena- 
torial districts, 137 counties, and about 1,400 militia districts. In case 
of war each militia district w^ould be expected to furnish a certain num- 
ber of men for service. 

The convicts of the State were formerly held at labor in a penitentiary 
at Milledgeville. They are now leased out on hire to industrial and agri- 
cultural companies and individuals. They are kept at seventeen camps, 
as they are called, which contain about two thousand convicts, the 
majority of whom are negroes. 

Population. — The population of Georgia, according to the census of 
1890, was 1,837,353, of whom 978,307 were whites and 858,996 colored. 
The following table shows the increase since 1790 : 



1790 


1800 


1810 


1820 


1830 


1840 


82,548 


162,101 


258,433 


340,433 


576,823 


691,392 


1850 


1860 


1870 


1880 


1890 




906,185 


1,057,286 


1,184,109 


1,542,180 


1,837,353 





CESSIOIsrS OF LAND BY THE II^DIAI^S. 

The laud which George II. granted to the Trustees was occupied by the Indians, and 
it was necessarj' for Oglethorpe to secure a grant from them also before settlements were 
made. As more land was needed it was bought from the Indians by the king as long as 
Georgia was a province of England. After the Revolution, the United States recognized 
the Indian titles just as England had done, and though Georgia nominally owned all the 
land within her boundaries, the Indians were in possession, and the people of Georgia 
could not settle on any land until it had been ceded by these Indians. 

The boundaries of the land which the Trustees bought from the Indians were not 
definitely fixed until the Conference of Augusta in 1763. Ten years later, 1773, the king 
acquired an additional tract lying along the Savannah River north of Augusta. The 
western boundary of this tract and the boundary line established in 1763 mark the west- 
ern limit of the land in possession of the State at the end of the Revolution. 

The treaty of 1783 was made between Georgia and the Creek and Cherokee Indians. 
By this treaty the State acquired the land marked with this date. The State of Georgia 
also made a treaty at Galphinton in 1785 by which certain other lands were acquired, but 
under the Articles of Confederation the United States had the sole right to make treaties 
with other nations, and the Indians were nations. For this reason Georgia's treaty was 
declared void. The boundary line fixed between the Creeks and the Cherokees and 
Georgia in 1783 was confirmed by a treaty with the United States at Hopewell in 1785, 
but the Indians refused to confirm the treaty of Galphinton. Thus for a time Georgia 
lost the use of a large tract of land, and there was great dissatisfaction in the State. 

In 1790 the United States Government made a treaty in New York City, with the Creek 
Indians, by which the cession of 1783 was confirmed, and an additional tract of land 
lying between the Oconee and the Ogeechee rivers was secured for the State of Georgia. 

The United States Government, by subsequent treaties, secured from the Indians pos- 
session of all their remaining lands in Georgia, and delivered these lands to the State. 
The United States paid the Indians for these lands, in consideration of Georgia's cession 
of her western territory in 1802. The only tract of land for which the United States did 
not pay was the cession of 1814, at Fort Jackson. This large body of land was ceded by 
the Creeks to the United States as a war indemnity, in compensation for expenses of the 
war and losses incurred during its progress. 

The date of each successive treaty between the United States and the Indians, together 
with the boundary lines of the tract ceded, are given on the accompanying map. Each 
of these cessions is mentioned in the text of the History in the chapter giving other events 
of the year in which the treaty was made. 

The price paid to the Creeks in 1826 for the cession of all their remaining lands in the 
State of Georgia Avas as follows : §217,600 was paid in cash, and all improvements on 
their Georgia lands were to be appraised and paid for. A perpetual annuity of §20.000 
was to be paid to the nation, and lands were to be bought for them in the Indian Terri- 
tory. The expenses of their removal to those lands were to be defrayed by the Govern- 
ment ; " subsistence " was furnished them for twelve months ; an agent and interpreter, 
a blacksmith and a wheelwright, were provided for tliem by the United States. 

The price paid the Cherokees in 1835 for all their lands east of the Mississippi River, 
including lands in Tennessee and Alabama, was §5,000,000, with an additional sum of 
$300,000 as an allowance for ^ spoliations " by citizens of the United States on Cherokee 
l)roperty. Seven million acres of land which had already been given them in Indian 
Territory in 1828 were confirmed to them free of cost ; 800,000 acres were added, and 



CussioNs OF Land by the Indians. 



IX 



they were further given "a perpetual outlet west, and free and unmolested use of all 
the country west of the western boundary of the said seven million acres, as far west as 
the sovereignty of the United States and their right of soil shall extend." 
The United States also agreed to pay the expense of their removal west, and to fur- 




MAP SHOWING 

CESSIONS OF l^ANDS 
B\ THE INDIANS 



nish them rations for one year. All improvements on the lands which they ceded were 
to be valued by commissioners and paid for. The outlet referred to above has ever since 
been known as " Cherokee Outlet," and is now a part of Oklahoma, having been bought 
from the Cherokees by the United States for §5,000,000. 



LIST OF COUNTIES 

Showing their Names, for whom named, the County Seat, when laid out, and present 

Population. 



Name. 



For Whom. 



County Seat. 



Laid Popu- 
out. lation. 



Appling Col. Dan'l Appling liaxley 

Baker Col. John Baker Newton 

Baldwin Abraham Baldwin Milledgeviile , 

Banks Dr. Richard Banks Homer 

Bartow Gen. Francis Bartow Cartersville . . , 

Berrien John M. Berrien Xashville 

Bibb Dr. W. W. Bibb Macon 

Brooks ' Preston L. Brooks Quitman 

Bryan Jonathan Brvan Bryan 

Bullock Arch. Bullock Statesboro. . . 

Burke Edmund Burke Waynesboro. , 

Butts Captain Sam. Butts Jackson 

Calhoun j John C. Calhoun Morgan 

Camden Earl of Camden St. Mary's, . . 

Campbell Duncan G. Campbell Fairburn 

Carroll Charles Carroll Carrollton. . . 

Catoosa Catoosa Rin^old 

Charlton R. M. Charlton Trader's Hill 

Chatham ' Earl of Chatham Savannah . . . 

Chattahoochee Chattahoochee River Cusseta 

Chattooga j Chattooga River Summerville. 

Cherokee JCherokee Indians Canton 

Clarke Gen. Elijah Clarke ! Athens 

Clav Ilenrv Clav ' Fort Gaines . 

Clayton ' A. s/Clay ton Jonesboro 

Clinch Gen. Duncan S. Clinch . 

Cobb ; John Cobb . 



Coffee 

Colquitt.. 
Columbia 
Coweta. . . 
Crawford. 

Dade 

Dawson . . 
Decatur , . 
DeKalb.. 

Dodge 

Dooly 

Dougherty. 



Gen. John Coffee 

Walter T. Colquitt. . . . 
Christopher Columbus 
Chief of the Cowetas . 

Wm. 11. Crawford 

Maj. Francis Dade 

Wm. C. Dawson 

Stephen Decatur 

Baron De Kalb 

Wm. E. Dodge 

Col. John Dooly 

Charles Dougherty 



Homerville 

Marietta 

Douglas 

Moultrie 

Appling 

Newnan 

Knoxville 

Trenton 

Dawsonville , 

Bainbridge 

Decatur 

Eastman 

Vienna 

Albany 

Douglasville 

Blakelv 



Douglas Stephen A. Douglas 

Earl v ( iov. Peter Early ... 

Echols Robert M. Echols 1 Staten viOe. 

Effingham Lord Effingham Springfield 

Elbert IGov. Sam. Elbert Elberton . , 



Emanuel Gov. David Emanuel 



Fannin 

Fayette 

Elovd 

Eorsyth 

Franklin 

Fulton 

Gilmer 

Glascock 

Glynn 

Gordon 

Greene 

Gwinnett 

Habersham.. 

Hall 

Hancock 

Haralson 

Harris 

Hart 

Heard 

Henry. 

Houston 

Irwin 



Col. J. W. Fannin. 

Gen, La Fayette 

Gen. Floyd ,, 

Gov. John Forsyth . . . 
Benjamin Franklin. . . 

Robert Fulton 

Gov, Geo. R. Gilmer. . 
Gen. Thos. Glascock. 



Swainsboro. 
Morganton . 
Fayetteville 

Rome 

Gumming . . 
Carnesville. 

.\tlanta 

Ellijay 

Gibson 



John Glynn i Brunswick . . . 

Wm. W. Gordon .Calhoun 

Gen. Nat. Greene Greensboro. . . 

Gov. Button Gwinnett ' Lawrenceville 

Joseph Habersham [("larkesville. . . 

(Ui\. Lyman Hall '(Gainesville . . . 

John liancock Sparta. 

Huizh A. Haralson Buchanan 

Charles Harris Hamilton. 

Nancy Hart Hartwell 

Stephen Heard Franklin 

Patrick Henry McDonough 

(Gov. John Houstoun Perry. 

Gov. Jared Irwin Irwinville 



1818 
182.5 
1803 
1858 
18t51 
1856 
1822 
1858 

1796 

irrr 

1825 
1854 

irrr 

1828 
1826 
1853 
1854 

irrr 

1854 
1838 
1832 
1801 
1854 
18.58 
18.50 
1832 
1854 
1856 
ir90 
1826 
1822 
183r 
I85r 
1823 
1822 

i8ro 

1821 
1853 

i8ro 

1818 
1858 

irrr 
iroo 

1812 
1854 
1821 
1832 

ia32 
ir86 
185:3 

1832 

]8.5r 
irrr 

1850 

ir86 

1818 
1818 
1818 

ir93 

18.56 
182r 
1853 
1830 
1821 
1821 
1818 



LIST OF COUNTIES— Con^^n««Z. 



Name. 



Jackson 

Jasper . . . 

Jefferson 

Johnson 

Jones 

Laurens 

Lee 

Liberty 

Lincoln 

Lowndes 

Lnmpkin 

McDuffie 

Mcintosh 

Macon 

Madison 

Marion 

Meriwether... 

Miller 

Milton 

Mitchell 

Monroe 

Montgoiner}' . 

Morgan 

Murray 

Muscogee 

Newton 

Oconee 

Oglethorpe.. . 

Paulding 

Pickens 

Pierce 

Pike 

Polk 

Pulaski 

Putnam 

Quitman 

Rabun 

Randolph 

Richmond. . . . 

Rockdale 

Schley 

Screven 

Spalding 

Stewart 

Sumter 

Talbot . 

Taliaferro . . . . 

Tattnal 

Taylor 

Telfair 

Terrell 

Thomas 

Towns 

Troup 

Twiggs 

Union 

Upson 

Walker 

Walton 

Ware 

Warren , 

Washington . . 

Wayne , 

Webster 

White 

Whitfield 

Wilcox 

Wilkes , 

Wilkinson 

Worth 



For ']yho?n. 



Gov. Jas. Jackson 

Sergeant Jasper 

Thomas Jefferson 

Gov. H. V. Johnson 

Hon. James Jones 

Col. John Laurens , 

Richard H. Lee 

See page 94 

Gen. Benj. Lincoln 

Wm. J. Lowndes 

Gov. Wilson Lumpkin... 

Geo. McDuffie 

Mcintosh Family , 

Nath. Macon 

Jas. Madison 

Gen. Francis Marion . . . . 
Gen. David McTiwether. , 

Andrew J. Miller 

Homer V. Milton 

Gov. David B. Mitchell. 

Jas. Monroe 

Gen. Rich. Montgomery. 

Gen. Dan'l Morgan 

Thos. W. Murray 

Muscogee Indians , 

Sergeant John Newton . , 

Oconee River 

Gen. Jas. E. Oglethorpe . 

John Paulding 

Gen. Andrew Pickens . . , 

Franklin Pierce 

Zebulon M. Pike 

Jas. K.Polk 

Count Pulaski 

Israel Putnam 

Gen. John A. Quitman . . 

Gov. Wm. Rabun 

John Randolph 

Duke of Richmond 

" Rockdale Church '' 

Gov. Wm. Schley 

Gen. Jas. Screven 

Hon. Thos. Spalding 

Gen. Dan'l Stewart 

Gen. Thos. Sumter 

Gov. Matthew Talbot. . . . 

Col. Benj. Taliaferro 

Josiah Tattnal 

Zach. Taylor , 

Gov. Edward Telfair . . . , 

Dr. Wm. Terrell 

Gen. Jett Thomas 

Gov. Geo. N. Towns 

Gov. Geo. M. Troup 

Gen. John Twiggs 

Union 

Stephen Upson , 

Maj. Freeman Walker. . 

Gov. Geo. Walton 

Nicholas Ware 

Gen. Joseph Warren 

George Washington 

Gen. Anthony Wayne . . 
Daniel Webster 



Rev. Geo. Whitefield . 
Captain John Wilcox. 

John Wilkes 

Gen. Jas. Wilkinson. . 
Gen. Wm. J. Worth.. 



County Seat. 



Jefferson 

Monticello 

Louisville 

Wrightsville.. 

Clinton 

Dublin 

Leesburg 

Hinesville. . .. 
Lincolnton . . . 

Valdosta 

Dahlonega 

Thomson 

Darien 

Oglethorpe . . 
Danielsville . . 
Buena Vista. . 

Greenville 

Colquitt 

Alpharetta . . . 

Camilla 

Forsyth 

Mt. Vernon.. . 

Madison 

Spring Place . 

Colunibus 

Covington 

Watkinsville . 

Lexington 

Dallas 

Jasper 

Blackshear . . . 

Zebulon 

Cedartown . . . 
Hawkinsville. 

Eatonton . 

Georgetown . . 

Clayton 

Cuthbert 

Augusta 

Conyers 

Ellaville 

Sylvania 

Griffin 

Lumpkin 

Americus 

Talbotton .... 
Crawfordville. 
Reidsville . . . . 

Butler 

McRae 

Dawson 

Thomasville. . 

Hiawassee 

La Grange 

Jeffersonvilk'. 

Blairsville 

Thomaston. .. 
La Fayette . . . 

Monroe 

Waycross 

Warrenton . . . 
Sandersville . . 

Jesup 

Preston 

Cleveland 

Dalton 

Abbeville 

Washington. . 

Irwinton 

Isabella 



Laid 


Popu- 


out. 


lation, 


1796 


19,176 


1812 


13,879 


179(3 


17,213 


1858 


6,129 


1807 


12,709 


1807 


13,747 


1826 


9,074 


1777 


12,887 


1796 


6,146 


1825 


15,1G2 


1888 


6,867 


1871 


8,789 


1793 


6,470 


1887 


13,183 


1811 


11,024 


1827 


7,728 


1827 


20,740 


1856 


4,275 


1857 


6,208 


1857 


10,906 


1821 


19,137 


1793 


9,248 


1807 


16,041 


1832 


8,461 


1826 


27,761 


1821 


14,310 


1875 


7,713 


1793 


16,951 


1882 


11.948 


1853 


8,182 


1857 


6,379 


1822 


16,300 


1851 


14,945 


1808 


16,559 


1807 


14,842 


1858 


4,471 


1819 


5,606 


1828 


15,267 


1777 


45,194 


1870 


6,813 


1857 


5,443 


1793 


14,424 


1851 


13,117 


1830 


15,682 


1831 


22,107 


1827 


13,25g 


1825 


7,291 


1801 


10,253 


1852 


8,666 


1807 


5,477 


1856 


14,503 


1825 


26,154 


1856 


4,064 


1826 


20,723 


1809 


8,195 


1832 


7,749 


1824 


12,188 


1833 


13,283 


1818 


17,467 


1824 


8,811 


1793 


10,957 


1784 


25,237 


1805 


7,485 


1856 


5,695 


1857 


6,151 


1851 


12,916 


1857 


7,980 


1777 


18,081 


1803 


10,781 


1853 


10,048 



GOVERNORS OF GEORGIA. 



COLONIAL : 

Gen. James E. Oglethorpe. 1732 
William Stephens (Acting) 1743 
Henry 'Parker (Acting) . 1751 



PROVINCIAL : 
John Reynolds . 
Henry Ellis 
James Wright . 



. 1754 
. 1757 
. 1760 



PROVISIONAL : 

Archibald Bullock, Presi- 
dent . . . .1776 

Button Gwinnett, Presi- 
dent .... 1777 



STATE : 




John A. Treutlen . 


. 1777 


John Houstoun 


. 1778 


John Wereat , 


. 1778 


George Walton 


. 1779 


Richard Howley 


. 1780 


Stephen Heard 


. 1781 


Nathan Brownson 


. 1781 


John Martin 


. 1782 


Lyman Hall 


. 1783, 


John Houstoun 


. 1784 


Samuel Elbert . 


. 1785 


Edward Telfair 


. 1786 


George Matthews 


. 1787 


George Handly 


. 1788 


George Walton 


. 1789 


Edward Telfair 


. 1790 


George Matthews 


. 1793 


Jared Irwin 


. 1796 


James Jackson . 


. 1798 


David Emanuel 


. 1801 


JosiAH Tatnall 


. 1801 


John INIilledge . 


. 1802 


Jared Irwin 


. 1806 


David B. Mitchell 


. 1809 


Peter Early . 


. 1813 


David B. Mitchell 


. 1815 


William Rabun 


. 1817 



Matthew Talbot, Presi- 
dent of Senate . . 1819 
John Clark . . . 1819 
George M. Troup . .1828 
John Forsyth . . . 1827 
George R. Gilmer . . 1829 
Wilson Lumpkin . . 1881 
William Schley . . 1883 
George R. Gilmer . . 1837 
Charles J. McDonald . 1839 
George W. Crawford . 1848 
George W. Towns . . 1847 
Howell Cobb . . . 1851 
Herschel V. Johnson . 1858 
Joseph E. Brown . . 1857 
James Johnson, Provisional 

Governor . . . 1865 

Charles J. Jenkins . . 1865 
Gen. T. H. Ruger, U.S.xV., 

Military Governor . . 1868 
RuFUS B. Bullock . . 1868 
Benjamin Conley, Presi- 
dent of Senate . . 1871 
James M. Smith . . 1872 
Alfred H. Colquitt . 1876 
Alexander II. Stephens . 1882 
James S. Boynton, Presi- 
dent of Senate . .1888 
Henry D. McDaniel . 1883 
John B. Gordon . . 1886 

AV. J. NORTHEN . .1890 

W. y. Atkinson . . 18y4 



CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF 
GEORGIA. 

PKEAMBLE. 

To perpetuate the principles of free government, insure justice to all, preserve peace, 
promote the interest and happiness of the citizen, and transmit to posterity the enjoy- 
ment of liberty, we, the people of Georgia, relying upon the protection and guidance of 
Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution: 

ARTICLE I. 

BILL OF RIGHTS. 

SECTION I. 
RIGHTS OF THE CITIZEN.^x 

1. Origin and Foundation of Government.— All government of right, originates 
with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of 
the whole. Public officers are the trustees and servants of the people, and at all times 
amenable to them. 

2. Protection the Duty of Government. — Protection to person and property is the 
paramount duty of government, and shall be impartial and complete. 

3. Life, Liberty, and Property.— No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or 
property, except by due process of law. 

4. Right to the Courts. — No person shall be deprived of the right to prosecute 
or defend his own cause in any of the courts of this State, in person, by attorney, or both. 

5. Benefit of Counsel, Accusation, List of Witnesses, Compulsory Process 
AND Trial.— Every person charged with an offence against the laws of this State shall 
have the privilege and benefit of counsel ; shall be furnished, on demand, with a copy of 
the accusation, and a list of the witnesses on whose testimony the charge against him is 
founded ; shall have compulsory process to obtain the testimony of his own witnesses ; 
shall be confronted with the witnesses testifying against him, and shall have a public and 
speedy trial by an impartial jury. 

6. Crimination of Self not Compelled.— No person shall be compelled to give 
testimony tending in any manner to criminate himself. 

7. Banishment ; Whipping.— Neither banishment beyond the limits of the State, nor 
whipping, as a punishment for crime, shall be allowed. 

8. Jeopardy op Life, etc.. More than Once, Forbidden.— No person shall be put 
in jeopardy of life, or liberty, more than once for the same offence, save on his, or her, 
own motion for anew trial after conviction, or incase of mistrial. 



History of Georgia. 



9. Bail, Fines, Punishments, Arrests.— Excessive bail shall not be required, nor 
excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted ; nor shall any per- 
son be abused in being arrested, while under arrest, or in prison. 

10. Costs.— No person shall be compelled to pay costs, except after conviction on final 
trial. 

11. Habeas Corpus.— The writ of habeas cm'pus shall not be suspended. 

12. Freedom of Conscience.— All men have the natural and inalienable right to 
worship God, each according to the dictates of his own conscience, and no human 
authority should, in any case, control or interfere with such right of conscience. 

13. Religious Opinions, etc.— No inhabitant of this State shall be molested in 
person or property, or prohibited from holding any public office or trust, on account of his 
religious opinions ; but the right of liberty of conscience shall not be so construed as to 
excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of 
the State. 

14. Appropriations to Sects Forbidden. — No money shall ever be taken from the 
public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomination of re- 
ligionists, or of any sectarian institution. 

15. Liberty of Speech Guaranteed.— No law shall ever be passed to curtail, or 
restrain, the liberty of speech, or of the press ; any person may speak, write, and 
publish his sentiments, on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that 
liberty. 

16. Searches and "Warrants.— The right of the people to be secure in their persons, 
houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be 
violated ; and no warrant shall issue except upon probable cause, supported by oath, 
or affirmation, particularly describing the place, or places, to be searched, and the persons 
or things to be seized. 

17. Slavery.— There shall be within the State of Georgia neither slavery nor involun- 
tary servitude, save as a punishment for crime after legal conviction thereof. 

18. Status of the Citizen.- The social status of the citizen shall never be the sub- 
ject of legislation. 

19. Civil Authority Superior to Military.— The civil authority shall be superior 
to the military, and no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without 
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, except by the civil magistrate, in such 
manner as may be provided by law. 

20. Contempts.— The power of the courts to punish for contempts shall be limited 
by legislative acts. 

21. Imprisonment for Debt.— There shall be no imprisonment for debt. 

22. Arms.— The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, but 
the General Assembly shall have power to prescribe the manner in which arms may be 
borne. 

23. Legislative, Judicial, and Executive SEPARATE.--The legislative, judicial, 
and executive powers shall forever remain separate and distinct, and no person discharg- 
ing the duties of one shall at the same time exercise the functions of either of the others, 
except as herein provided. 

24. Right to Assemble and Petition.— The people have the right to assemble 
peaceably for their common good, and to apply to those vested with the powers of 
government for redress of grievances, by petition or remonstrance. 

25. Citizens, Protection of. — All citizens of the United States resident in thifr 
State, are hereby declared citizens of this State ; and it shall be the duty of the General 
Assembly to enact such laws as will i)rotect them in the full enjoyment of the rights,, 
privileges, and immunities due to such citizenship. 



APPENDIX. XV 



SECTION II. 

CERTAIN OFFENSES DEFINED. 

1. Libel ; Jury in Criminal Trials.— In all prosecutions or indictments for libel, 
the truth may be given in evidence ; and the jury in all criminal cases shall be the judges 
of the law and the facts. The power of the judges to grant new trials in case of convic- 
tion is preserved. 

2. Treason.— Treason against the State of Georgia shall consist in levying war 
against her, adhering to her enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be 
convicted of treason, except on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or 
confession in open court. 

3. Conviction.— No conviction shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture of estate. 

4. Lotteries. — All lotteries, and the sale of lottery tickets, are hereby prohibited ; 
and this prohibition shall be enforced by penal laws. 

5. Lobbying.— Lobbying is declared to be a crime, and the General Assembly shall 
enforce this provision by suitable penalties. 

6. Fraud ; Property Concealment.— The General Assembly shall have the power 
to provide for the punishment of fraud ; and shall provide, by law, for reaching property 
of the debtor concealed from the creditor. 



SECTION III. 

PROTECTION TO PERSON AND PROPERTY. 

1. Private Ways ; Just Compensation.— In cases of necessity, jjrivate ways may 
be granted upon just compensation being first paid by the applicant. Private property 
shall not be taken, or damaged, for public purposes, without just and adequate compen- 
sation being first paid. 

2. Attainder ; ex Post Facto and Eetroactive Laws, etc.— No bill of attain- 
der, ex post facto law, retroactive law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or 
making irrevocable grants of special privileges or immunities, shall be passed. 

3. Revocation of Grants.— No grant of special privileges or immunities shall be 
revoked, except in such manner as to work no injustice to the corporators or creditors 
of the incorporation. 

SECTION IV. 

SPECIAL LEGISLATION FORBIDDEN. 

1. General Laws, and How Varied.— Laws of a general nature shall have uni- 
form operation throughout the State, and no special law shall be enacted in any case for 
which provision has been made by an existing general law. No general law affecting 
private rights shall be varied in any particular case, by special legislation, except with 
the free consent, in writing, of all persons to be affected thereby ; and no person under 
legal disability to contract is capable of such consent. 

2. What Acts Void. — Legislative acts in violation of this Constitution, or the 
Constitution of the United States, are void, and the judiciary shall so declare them. 



xvi HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 

SECTION V. 

GOVERNMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE. 

1. State Rights. — The people of this State have the inherent, sole, and exclusive 
right of regulating their internal government, and the police thereof, and of altering 
and abolishing their Constitution whenever it may be necessary to their safety and 
happiness. 

2. Enumeration op Rights Not Deny Others.— The enumeration of rights herein 
contained as a part of this Constitution, shall not be construed to deny to the people any 
inherent rights which they may have hitherto enjoyed. 

AETICLE II. 

ELECTIVE FRAi^CHISE. 
SECTION I. 

QUALIFICATION OF VOTERS. 

1. Ballot.— In all elections by the people the electors shall vote by ballot. 

2. Electors, and Oath of. —Every male citizen of the United States (except as 
hereinafter provided), twenty-one years of age, who shall have resided in this State one 
year next preceding the election, and shall have resided six months in the county in 
which he oflfers to vote, and shall have paid all taxes which may hereafter be required 
of him, and which he may have had an opportunity of paying agreeably to law, except 
for the year of the election, shall be deemed an elector : Provided, that no soldier, 
sailor, or marine in the military or naval service of the United States, shall acquire the 
rights of an elector by reason of being stationed on duty in this State ; and no person 
shall vote who, if challenged, shall refuse to take the following oath, or affirmation : 
" I do swear (or affirm) that I am twenty-one years of age, have resided in this State 
one year, and in this county six months, next preceding this election. I have paid all 
taxes which, since the adoption of the present Constitution of this State, have been 
required of me previous to this year, and which I have had an opportunity to pay, and 
I have not voted at this election." 

SECTION II. 

REGISTRATION. 

1. Registration; Who Disfranchised.— The General Assembly may provide, from 
time to time, for the registration of all electors, but the following classes of persons shall 
not be permitted to register, vote, or hold any otfice, or appointment of honor or trust in 
this State, to-wit : (1) Those who shall have been convictetl, in any court of competent 
jurisdiction, of treason against the Stjite, of embezzlement of jjublic funds, malfeasance 
in office, bribery, or larceny, or of any crime involving moral turpitude, punishable by 
the laws of this State with imprisonment in the penitentiary, unless such person shall 
have been pardoned. (2) Idiots and insane persons. 



APPENDIX. xvii 

SECTION III. 
voters' privilege. 

1. Privilege op Electous.— Electors shall, in all cases except for treason, felony, 
larceny and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance on 
elections, and in going to and returning from the same. 

SECTION IV. 

DISQUALIFICATION TO HOLD OFFICE. 

1. Holder of Public Funds.— No person who is the holder of any public money, 
contrary to law, shall be eligible to any office in this State until the same is accounted 
for and paid into the treasury. 

2. Duelling.— No person who, after the adoption of this Constitution, being a resi- 
dent of this State, shall have been convicted of fighting a duel in this State, or convicted 
of sending or accepting a challenge, or convicted of aiding or abetting such duel, shall 
hold office in this State, unless he shall have been pardoned ; and every such person 
shall also be subject to such punishment as may be prescribed by law. 

SECTION V. 

SALE OF LIQUORS, WHEN FORBIDDEN. 

1. Sale of Liquors on Election Days.— The General Assembly shall, by law, 
forbid the sale, distribution, or furnishing of intoxicating drinks within two miles of 
election precincts on days of election— State, county or municipal— and prescribe punish- 
ment for any violation of the same. 

SECTION VI. 

RETURN OP ELECTIONS. 

1. Election Returns.— Returns of election for all civil officers elected by the people, 
who are to be commissioned by the Governor, and also for the members of the General 
Assembly, shall be made to the Secretary of State, unless otherwise provided by law. 

ARTICLE III. 

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMEN^T. 
SECTION I. 

LEC4ISLATIVE POWER, WHERE VESTED. 

1. Legislative Power.— The legislative power of the State shall be vested in a 
General Assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. 



xviii HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 



SECTION II. 

SENATORIAL DISTRICTS. 

1. NrMBER OP Senators, etc.— The Senate shall consist of forty-four mem here. 
There shall be forty-four Senatorial districts, as now arranged by counties. Each dis- 
trict shall have one Senator. 

2. Districts Changed, How.— The General Assembly may change these districts 
after each census of the United States : Provided, that neither the number of districts 
nor the number of senators from each district shall be increased. 

SECTION III. 

COUNTY REPRESENTATION. 

1. Ntr^rBEK OF Representatives.— The House of Representatives shall consist of 
one hundred and seventy-five representatives, apportioned among the several counties as 
follows, to-wit : To the six counties having the largest population, viz., Chatham, 
Richmond, Burke, Houston, Bibb, and Fulton, three representatives, each ; to the 
twenty-six counties having the next largest population, viz.. Bartow, Coweta, Decatur, 
Floyd, Greene, Gwinnett, Harris, Jefferson, Meriwether. Monroe, Muscogee, Newton, 
Stewart, Sumter, Thomas, Troup, Washington, Hancock, Carroll, Cobb, Jackson, 
Dougherty, Oglethorpe, Macon, Talbot, and Wilkes, two rei)resentatives, each ; and to 
the remaining one hundred and five counties, one representative each. 

2. Changed, How.— The above apportionment shall be changed by the General 
Assembly at its first session after each census taken by the United States Government, so 
as to give the six counties having the largest population three representatives, each ; and 
to the twenty-six counties having the next largest population two representatives, each ; 
but in no event ehall the aggregate number of representatives be increased. 

SECTION IV. 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 

1. Term of Members.— The members of the General Assembly shall be elected for 
two years, and shall serve until their successors are elected. 

2. Election, When.— The first election for members of the General Assembly, under 
this Constitution, shall take place on the first Wednesday in December, 1877 ; the second 
election for the same shall be held on the first Wednesday in October, 1880, and subse- 
quent elections biennially on that day, until the day of election is changed by laAv. 

3. Meeting of the General Assembly.— The first meeting of the General Assem- 
bly, after the ratification of this Constitution, shall be on the fourth Wednesday in 
October, 1878, and annually thereafter, on the same day, until the day shall be changed 
by law. No session of the General Assembly shall continue longer than fifty days: Prv- 
rided, that if an impeachment trial is impending at the end of fifty days, the session may 
be prolonged till the completion of said trial. 

4. Quorum.— A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to transact business ; 
but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day and compel the presence of its absent 
members, as each house may provide. 

5. Oath op Members.— Each senator and representative, before taking his seat, shall 



APPENDIX. xix 



take the following oath, or affirmation, to wit : "I will support the Constitution of this 
State, and of the United States ; and on all questions and measures which may come 
before me, I will so conduct myself as will, in my judgment, be must conducive to the 
interests and prosperity of this State." 

6. Length of Sessions.— (See par. 3 this section.) 

7. Eligibility ; Appointments Forbidden.— No person holding a military commis- 
sion, or other appointment or office, having any emolument or compensation annexed 
thereto, under this State, or the United States, or either of them, except justices of the 
peace and officers of the militia, nor any defaulter for public money, or for any legal taxes 
required of him, shall have a seat in either house, nor shall any senator or representative, 
after his qualification as such, be elected by the General Assembly, or appointed by the 
Governor, either with or without the advice and consent of the Senate, to any office or 
appointment having any emolument annexed thereto, during the time for which he shall 
have been elected. 

8. Removal Vacates.— The seat of a member of either house shall be vacated on his 
removal from the district or county from which he was elected. 



SECTION V. 

THE SENATE. 

1. Qualifications of Senators.— The Senators shall be citizens of the United States 
who have attained the age of twenty-five years, and who shall have been citizens of this 
State for four years, and for one year residents of the district from which elected. 

2. President.— The presiding officer of the Senate shall be styled the President of the 
Senate, and he shall be elected viva voce from the Senators. 

3. Impeachments. — The Senate shall have the sole power to try impeachments. 

4. Trial of Impeachments. — When sitting for that purpose, the members shall be on 
oath or affirmation, and shall be presided over by the Chief Justice, or the presiding 
justice of the Supreme Court. Should the Chief Justice be disqualified, the Senate shall 
select the judge of the Supreme Court to preside. No person shall be convicted without 
the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. 

5. Judgments in Impeachments.— Judgments, in cases of impeachment, shall not 
extend further than removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office 
of honor, trust, or profit, within this State ; but the party convicted shall, nevertheless, be 
liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law. 



SECTION VI. 

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

1. Qualifications of Representatives. — The representatives shall be citizens of 
the United States who have attained the age of twenty-one years, and who shall have 
been citizens of this State for two years, and for one year residents of the counties from 
which elected. 

2. Speaker.— The presiding officer of the House of Representatives shall be styled the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and shall be elected viva voce from the body, 

3. Power to Impeach.— The House of Representatives shall have the sole power to 
impeach all persons who shall have been, or may be, in office. 



XX History of Georgia. 

SECTION VII. 

ENACTMENT OF LAWS. 

1. Elections, Returns, etc. ; Disorderly Conduct.— Each house shall be the judge 
of the election, returns, and qualifications of its members, and shall have power to punish 
them for disorderly behavior, or misconduct, by censure, fine, imprisonment, or expul- 
sion, but no member shall be expelled, except by a vote of two-thirds of the house to 
which he belongs. 

2. Contempts, How Punished.— Each house may punish by imprisonment, not ex- 
tending beyond the session, any person, not a member, who shall be guilty of a contempt 
by any disorderly behavior in its presence, or who shall rescue, or attempt to rescue, any 
person arrested by order of either house. 

3. Privilege of Members. — The members of both houses shall be free from arrest 
during their attendance on the General Assembly, and in going thereto or returning there- 
from, except for treason, felony, larceny, or breach of the peace ; and no member shall be 
liable to answer in any other place for anything spoken in debate in either house. 

4. Journals.— Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish it 
immediately after its adjournment. 

5. Where Kept. — The original journal shall be preserved, after publication, in the 
office of the Secretary of State, but there shall be no other record thereof. 

6. Yeas and Xats, When Taken. — The yeas and nays on any question shall, at the 
desire of one-fifth of the members present, be entered on the journal. 

7. Bills to Be Read.— Every bill, before it shall pass, shall be read three times, and 
on three separate days, in each house, unless in cases of actual invasion or insurrection; 
but the first and second reading of each local bill, and bank and railroad charters shall 
consist of the reading of the title only, unless said bill is ordered to be engrossed. 

8. One Subject-Matter Expressed. — Xo law or ordinance shall pass which refers 
to more than one subject-matter, or contains matter different from what is expressed in 
the title thereof. 

9. General Appropriation Bill.— The general appropriation bill shall embrace 
nothing except appropriations fixed by previous laws, the ordinary expenses of the execu- 
tive, legislative, and judicial departments of the government, payment of the public debt 
and interest thereon, and the support of the public institutions and educational interests 
of the State. All other appropriations shall be made by separate bills, each embracing 
but one subject. 

10. Bills for Revenue. — All bills for raising revenue, or appropriating money, shall 
originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur in amend- 
ments, as in other bills. 

11. Public Money, How Drawn.— No money shall be drawn from the treasury ex- 
cept by appropriation made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipt 
and expenditure of all public money shall be published every three months, and, also, 
with the laws passed by each session of the General Assembly. 

12. Bills Appropriating Money.— No bill or resolution appropriating money shall 
become a law, unless, upon its passage, the yeas and nays, in each house, are recorded. 

13. Acts Signed ; Rejected Bills.— All acts shall be signed by the President of 
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and no bill, ordinance, or 
resolution, intended to have the effect of a law, which shall have been rejected by either 
house, shall be again proposed during the same session, under the same or any other title, 
without the consent of two-thirds of the house by which the same was rejected. 

14. Majority of Members to Pass Bill.— No bill shall become a law unless it shall 



Appendix. xxi 

receive a majority of the votes of all the members elected to each house of the General 
Assembly, and it shall, in every instance, so appear on the journal. 

15. Local Bills.— Stricken out by amendment. 

16. Notice of Intention to Ask Local Legislation Necessary.— No local or special 
bill shall be passed, unless notice of the intention to apply therefor shall have been pub- 
lished in the locality where the matter, or thing to be aflEected, may be situated, which 
notice shall be given at least thirty days prior to the introduction of such bill into the 
General Assembly, and in the manner to be prescribed by law. The evidence of such 
notice having been published, shall be exhibited in the General Assembly before such 
act shall be passed. 

17. Statutes and Sections of Code, How Amended.— No law, or section of the 
Code, shall be amended or repealed by mere reference to its title, or to the number of the 
section of the Code, but the amending or repealing act shall distinctly describe the law 
to be amended or repealed, as well as the alteration to be made. 

18. Corporate Powers, How Granted.— The General Assembly shall have no 
power to grant corporate powers and privileges to private companies ; to make or change 
election precincts ; nor to establish bridges or ferries ; nor to change names of legitimate 
children ; but it shall prescribe by law the manner in which such powers shall be exercised 
by the courts. All corporate powers and privileges to banking, insurance, railroad, canal, 
navigation, express and telegraph companies shall be issued and granted by the secretary 
of State, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law ; and if in any event the secretary 
of State should be disqualified to act in any case, then in that event the legislature shall 
provide by general laws by what person such charters shall be granted. 

19. Recognizances. — The General Assembly shall have no power to relieve principals 
or securities upon forfeited recognizances, from the payment thereof, either before or 
after judgment thereon, unless the principal in the recognizance shall have been appre- 
hended and placed in the custody of the proper ofticer. 

20. Street-Railw^ays. — The General Assembly shall not authorize the construction 
of any street passenger-railway within the limits of any incorporated town or city, without 
the consent of the corporate authorities. 

21. Yeas and Nays to be Entered, When.— Whenever the Constitution requires 
a vote of two-thirds of either or both houses for the passing of an act or resolution, the 
yeas and nays on the passage thereof shall be entered on the journal. 

22. Powers op the Legislature.— The General Assembly shall have power to 
make all laws and ordinances consistent with this Constitution, and not repugnant to the 
Constitution of the United States, which they shall deem necessary and proper for the 
welfare of the State. 

23. Signature of Governor. — No provision in this Constitution, for a two-thirds 
vote of both houses of the General Assembly, shall be construed to waive the necessity 
for the signature of the Governor, as in any other case, except in the case of the two- 
thirds vote required to override the veto, and in case of prolongation of a session of the 
General Assembly. 

24. Adjournments. — Neither house shall adjourn for more than three days, or to 
any other place, without the consent of the other ; and in case of disagreement between 
the two houses on a question of adjournment, the Governor may adjourn either or both 
of them. 

SECTION VIII. 

OFFICERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 

1. Secretary and Clerk.— The officers of the two houses, other than the Presi- 
dent and Speaker, shall be a secretary of the Senate, and clerk of the House of Repre- 



xxii History of Georgia. 



sentatives, and such assistants as they may appoint ; but the clerical expenses of the 
Senate shall not exceed sixty dollars per day, for each session, nor those of the House of 
Representatives seventy dollars per day, for each session. The secretary of the Senate 
and clerk of the House of Representatives shall be required to give bond and security 
for the faithful discharge of their respective duties. 

SECTION IX. 

PAY OF MEMBERS. 

1. Compensation.— The per diem of members of the General Assembly shall not 
exceed four dollars ; and mileage shall not exceed ten cents for each mile travelled, by 
the nearest i)racticable route, in going to, and returning from, the capital : but the Presi- 
dent of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each receive 
not exceeding seven dollars per day. 

SECTION X. 

ELECTIONS BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 

1. Elections. — All elections by the General Assembly shall be viva voce, and the vote 
shall appear on the journal of the House of Representatives. When the Senate and 
House of Representatives unite for the purpose of elections, they shall meet in the Rep- 
resentative Hall, and the President of the Senate shall, iu such cases, preside and declare 
the result. 

SECTION XI. 

MARRIED woman's PROPERTY. 

1. Wipe's Estate.— All property of the wife at the time of her marriage, and all 
property given to, inherited, or acquired by her, shall remain her separate ])r()iierty, and 
not be liable for the debts of her husband. 



SECTION XII. 

insurance COMPANIES. 

1. Non-Resident Insurance Companies.— All life-insurance companies now doing 
business in this State, or which may desire to establish agencies and do business in the 
State of Georgia, chartered by other States of the Union, or foreign states, shall show 
that they have deposited with the comptroller-general of the State in which they are 
chartered, or of this State, the insurance commissioners, or such other officer as may be 
authorized to receive it, not less than one hundred thousand dollars, in such securities as 
may be deemed by such officer equivalent to cash, subject to his order, as a guarantee 
fund for the security of policy holders. 

2. License by Comptroller.— When such showing is made to the comptroller- 
general of the State of Georgia by a proper certificate from the Stiite official having 
charge of the funds so deposited, the comptroller-general of the State of Georgia is 
authorized to issue, to the company making such showing, a license to do business in the 
State, upon paying the fees required by law. 

3. Resident Insurance Companies. — All life-insurance companies chartered by the 



Appendix. ' xxiii 



state of Georgia, or which may hereafter be chartered by the State, shall, before doing 
biisiuees, deposit, with the comptroller-general of the State of Georgia, or with some 
strong corporation, which may be approved by said comptroller-general, one hundred 
thousand dollars, in such securities as may be deemed by him equivalent to cash, to be 
subject to his order, as a guarantee fund for the security of the policy holders of the 
company making such deposit, all interests and dividends arising from such securities 
to be paid, when due, to the company so depositing. Any such securities as may be 
needed or desired by the company may be taken from said department at any time by 
replacing them with other securities equally acceptable to the comptroller-general, whose 
certificate for the same shall be furnished to the company. 

4. General Assembly to Enact Laws for People's Protection, etc.— The 
General Assembly shall, from time to time, enact laws to compel all fire-insurance com- 
panies doing business in this State, whether chartered by this State or otherwise, to de- 
posit reasonable securities with the treasurer of this State, to secure the people against loss 
by the operations of said companies. 

5. Reports by Insurance Companies.— The General Assembly shall compel all in- 
surance companies in this State or doing business therein, under proper penalties, to 
make semi-annual reports to the Governor, and print the same at their own expense, for 
the information and protection of the people 



ARTICLE IV. 

POWER OF THE GEN"ERAL ASSEMBLY OYER TAXATION^. 
SECTION I. 

TAXATION. 

1. Taxation, a Sovereign Right.— The right of taxation is a sovereign right, in- 
alienable, indestructible, is the life of the State, and rightfully belongs to the people 
in all republican governments, and neither the General Assembly, nor any nor all other 
departments of the government established by this Constitution, shall ever have the 
authority to irrevocably give, grant, limit, or restrain this right; and all laws, grants, con- 
tracts, and all other acts whatsoever, by said government, or any department thereof, to 
effect any of these purposes, shall be and are hereby declared to be null and void for 
every purpose whatsoever ; and said right of taxation shall always be under the complete 
control of, and revocable by, the State, notwithstanding any gift, grant, or contract what- 
soever by the General Assembly. 

SECTION II. 

REGULATION OP CORPORATIONS. 

\. Railroad Tariffs.— The power and authority of regulating railroad freights and 
passenger tariffs, preventing unjust discriminations, and requiring reasonable and just 
rates of freight and passenger tariffs, are hereby conferred upon the General Assembly, 
whose duty it shall be to pass laws, from time to time, to regulate freight and passenger 
tariffs, to prohibit unjust discriminations on the various railroads of this State, and to 
prohibit said roads from charging other than just and reasonable rates, and enforce the 
same by adequate penalties. 



xxir History of Georgia. 



2. Right of Eminent Domain; Police Power.— The exercise of the right of enii- 
iiciit (loniain shall never be ahridged, nor so construed as to prevent the General Assembly' 
from taking the property and franchises of incorporated companies, and subjecting them 
to public use, the same as property of individuals ; and the exercise of the police power 
of the State shall never be abridged, nor so construed as to permit corporations to con- 
duct their business in such a manner as to infringe the equal rights of individuals, or the 
general well-being of the State. 

3. Charters Revived or Amended Become Subject to this Constitition.— 
The (Jeneral Assembly shall not remit the forfeiture of the charter of any corporation, 
now existing, nor alter or amend the same, nor pass any other general or special law for 
the benefit of said corporation except upon the condition that such corporation shall 
thereafter hold its charter subject to the provisions of this Constitution ; and every 
amendment of any charter of any corporation in this State, or any special law for its 
benefit, accepted thereby, shall operate as a novation of said charter and shall bring the 
same under the provisions of this Constitution : Provided, that this section shall not 
extend to any amendment for the purpose of allowing any existing road to take stock in 
or aid in the building of any branch road. 

4. Buying Stock, etc., in Other Corporations ; Competition.— The General 
Assembly of this State shall have no power to authorize any corporation to buy shares 
or stock in any other corporation in this State or elsewhere, or to make any contract, 
or agreement whatever, with any such corporation, which may have the effect, or be 
intended to have the effect, to defeat or lessen competition in their respective businesses, 
or to encourage monopoly ; and all such contracts and agreements shall be illegal and 
void. 

5. Rebates.— No railroad company shall give, or pay, any rebate or bomis in the 
nature thereof, directly or indirectly, or do any act to mislead or deceive the public as to 
the real rates charged or received for freights or passage ; and any such payments shall 
be illegal and void, and these prohibitions shall be enforced by suitable penalties. 

G. Obligation of Contracts Preserved.— No provision of this Article shall be 
deemed, held or taken to impair the obligation of any contract heretofore made by the 
State of Georgia. 

7. General Assembly to Enforce.— The (ieneral Assembly shall enforce the 
provisions of this Article by approi)riate legislation. 



ARTICLE V. 

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. 
SECTION I. 

GOVERNOR. 

1. Executive Department.— The officers of the Executive Department shall consist 
of a Governor, secretary of State, comptroller-general and treasurer. 

2, Governor ; Term of Office, Salary, etc.— The Executive power shall be 
vested in a Governor, who shall hold his office during the term of two years, and until 
his successor shall be chosen and qualified. lie shall not be eligible to reelection, after 
the expiration of a second term, for the period of four years. He shall have a salary of 
three thousand dollars per annum (until otherwise i)rovided by a law i)a8sed by a two- 



APPENDIX. XXV 



thirds vote of both branches of the General Assembly), which shall not be increased or 
diminished during the period for whicli he shall have been elected ; nor shall he receive, 
within that time, any other emolument from the United States, or either of them, or 
from any foreign power. But this reduction of salary shall not apply to the present 
term of the present Governor. 

3. Election fou Governor.— The first election for Governor, under this Constitu- 
tion, shall be held on the first Wednesday in October, 1880, and the Governor-elect shall 
be installed in office at the next session of the General Assembly. An election shall take 
place biennially thereafter, on said day, until another date be fixed by the General 
Assembly. Said election shall be held at the places of holding general elections in the 
several counties of this State, in the manner prescribed for the election of members of the 
General Assembly, and the electors shall be the same. 

4. Returns of Elections.— The returns for every election of Governor shall be sealed 
up by the managers, separately from other returns, and directed to the President of the 
Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, and transmitted to the secretary of 
State, who shall, without opening said returns, cause the same to be laid before the 
Senate on the day after the two houses shall have been organized, and they shall be trans- 
mitted by the Senate to the House of Representatives. 

5. How Published. — The members of each branch of the General Assembly shall 
convene in the Representative Hall, and the President of the Senate and Speaker of the 
House of Representatives shall open and publish the returns in the presence and under the 
direction of the General Assembly ; and the person having the majority of the whole 
number of votes shall be declared duly elected Governor of this State, but if no person 
shall have such majority, then from the two persons having the highest number of votes, 
who shall be in life, and shall not decline an election at the time appointed for the General 
Assembly to elect, the General Assembly shall, immediately, elect a Governor viva voce ; 
and in all cases of election of a Governor by the General Assembly a majority of the 
members present shall be necessary to a choice. 

6. Contested Elections.— Contested elections shall be determined by both houses 
of the General Assembly in such manner as shall be prescribed by law. 

7. Qualifications of Governor.— No person shall be eligible to the office of Gover- 
nor who shall not have been a citizen of the United States fifteen years, and a citizen of 
the State six years, and who shall not have attained the age of thirty years. 

8. Death, Resignation, or Disability of Governor.— In case of the death, 
resignation, or disability of the Governor, the President of the Senate shall exercise the 
executive powers of the government until such disability be removed, or a successor is 
elected and qualified. And in case of the death, resignation, or disability of the Presi- 
dent of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall exercise the 
executive powers of the government until the removal of the disability, or the election 
and qualification of a Governor. 

9. Unexpired Terms. — The General Assembly shall have power to provide by law, 
for filling unexpired terms by special elections. 

10. Oath of Office. — The Governor shall, before he enters on the duties of his office, 
take the following oath or affirmation : " I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case 
may be) that I will faithfully execute the office of Govenior of the State of Georgia, and 
will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution thereof, and 
the Constitution of the United States of America." 

11. Commander-in-chief.— The Governor shall be commander-in-chief of the army 
and navy of this State, and of the militia thereof. 

12. Reprieves and Pardons.— He shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons, 
to commute penalties, remove disabilities imposed by law, and to remit any i)art of a sen- 



xxvi History of Georgia. 



tence for ofEenses against the State, after conviction, except in cases of treason and im- 
peachment, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law relative to the manner 
of applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason he may suspend the execution of the 
sentence and report the case to the General Assembly at the next meeting thereof, when 
the General Assembly shall either pardon, commute the sentence, direct its execution, or 
grant a further reprieve. lie shall, at each session of the General Assembly, communi- 
cate to that body each case of reprieve, pardon or commutation granted, stating the name 
of the convict, the offense for which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, the date 
of the reprieve, pardon or commutation, and the reasons for granting the same. He shall 
take care that the laws are faithfully executed, and shall be a conservator of the peace 
throughout the State. 

13. Writs of Elections ; Called Session of the LEnsLATURE.— He shall issue 
writs of election to fill all vacancies that may happen in the Senate or House of Represen- 
tatives, and shall give the General Assembly from time to time, information of the state of 
the Commonwealth, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he may deem 
necessary or expedient. He shall have power to convoke the General Assembly on extra- 
ordinary occasions, but no law shall be enacted at called sessions of the General Assembly 
except such as shall relate to the object stated in his proclamation convening them. 

14. Filling Vacancies. — When any office shall become vacant, by death, resigna- 
tion, or otherwise, the Governor shall have power to fill such vacancy, unless otherwise 
provided by law ; and persons so appointed shall continue in office until a successor is 
commissioned, agreeably to the mode pointed out by this Constitution, or by law in pur- 
suance thereof. 

15. Appointments Rejected.— A person once rejected by the Senate shall not be 
reappointed by the Governor to the same office during the same session, or the recess 
thereafter. 

16. Governor's Veto.— The Governor shall have the revision of all bills passed by 
the General Assembly, before the same shall become laws, but two-thirds of each house 
may pass a law notwithstanding his dissent ; and if any bill should not be returned by 
the Governor within five days (Sunday excepted) after it has been presented to him, the 
same shall be a law ; unless the General Assembly, by their adjouniment, shall prevent 
its return. He may approve any appropriation, and disapprove any other appropriation, 
in the same bill, and the latter shall not be effectual unless passed by two-thirds gf each 
house. 

17. Governor Must Approve.— Every vote, resolution, or order, to which the con- 
currence of both houses may be necessary, except on a question of election, or adjourn- 
ment, shall be presented to the Governor, and before it shall take effect, be approved by 
him, or, being disapproved, shall be repassed by two-thirds of each house. 

18. Information from Department Officers ; Treasurer and Comptroller.— 
He may require information, in writing, from the officers in the Executive Department on 
any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices. It shall be the duty of the 
Governor, quarterly, and oftener if he deems it expedient, to examine, under oath, the 
treasurer and comptroller-general of the State on all matters pertaining to their respect- 
ive offices, and to inspect and review their books and accounts. The General Assembly 
shall have authority to provide by law for the suspension of either of said officers, from 
the discharge of the duties of his office, and also for the appointment of a suitable person 
to discharge the duties of the same. 

19. Secretaries.— The Governor shall have power to appoint his own secretaries 
not exceeding two in number, and to provide such other clerical force as may be required 
in his office, but the total cost for secretaries and clerical force in his office shall not 
exceotl six thousand dollars jvt animm. 



AFFUJSfBIX. xxvii 

SECTION II. 

OTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICERS. 

1. Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer, How Elected.— The 
secretary of State, comptroller-general and treasurer shall be elected by persons quali- 
fied to vote for members of the General Assembly, at the same time and in the same 
manner as the Governor. The provisions of the Constitution as to the transmission of 
the returns of election, counting the votes, declaring the result, deciding when there is 
no election, and when there is a contested election, applicable to the election of Governor, 
shall apply to the election of secretary of State, comptroller-general and treasurer ; 
they shall be commissioned by the Governor and hold their offices for the same time as 
the Governor. 

2. Treasurer's Salary.— The salary of the treasurer shall not exceed two thousand 
dollars per annum. The clerical expenses of his department shall not exceed sixteen 
hundred dollars per annum. 

3. Salary of Secretary of State.— The salary of the secretary of State shall 
not exceed two thousand dollars per annum, and the clerical expenses of his department 
shall not exceed one thousand dollars per annum. 

4. Comptroller-General's Salary.— The salary of the comptroller-general shall 
not exceed two thousand dollars per annum. The clerical expenses of his department, 
including the insurance department and wild-land clerk, shall not exceed four thousand 
dollars per annum ; and without said clerk, it shall not exceed three thousand dollars 
per annum. 

5. Profit from Use of Public Money.— The treasurer shall not be allowed, 
directly or indirectly, to receive any fee, interest, or reward from any person, bank, or 
corporation for the deposit or use, in any manner, of the public funds ; and the General 
Assembly shall enforce this provision by suitable penalties. 

6. Qualifications.— No person shall be eligible to the office of secretary of State, 
comptroller-general, or treasurer, unless he shall have been a citizen of the United 
States for ten years, and shall have resided in this State for six j^ears next preceding his 
clectioru, and shall be twenty-five years of age when elected. All of said officers shall give 
bond and security, under regulations to be prescribed by law, for the faithful discharge 
of their duties. 

7. Fees and Perquisites Denied.— The secretary of State, the comptroller-general, 
and the treasurer, shall not be allowed any fee, perquisite, or compensation, other than 
their salaries, as prescribed by law, except their necessary expenses when absent from the 
seat of government on business for the State. 

SECTION III. 

SEAL OF STATE. 

1. Great Seal.— The Great Seal of the State shall be deposited in the office of the 
secretary of State, and shall not be affixed to any instrument of writing except by order 
of the Governor, or General Assembly, and that now in use shall be the great seal of the 
State until otherwise provided by law. 



xxviii History of Georgia. 

ARTICLE VI. 

JUDICIARY. 
SECTION I. 

COURTS. 

1. Courts Enxtmerated.— The judicial powers of this State shall be vested in a 
Supreme Court, snixnior courts, courts of ordinary, justices of the peace, commissioned 
notaries public, and such other courts as have been or may be established by law. 

SECTION II. 

SUPREME COURT. 

1. Supreme Court Judges.— The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice and 
two Associate Justices. A majority of the court shall constitute a quorum. 

2. Governor to Designate Judges to Preside, When.— When one or more of the 
judges are disqualified from deciding any case, by interest or otherwise, the Governor 
shall designate a judge, or judges, of the superior courts to preside in said case. 

3. BoNDHOLDiNG JuDGE DISQUALIFIED, When. — No judgc of auv court sliall prcsidc 
in any case where tlie validity of any bond— Federal, State, corporation, or municipal— is 
involved, who holds in his own right, or as the representative of others, any material 
interest in the class of bonds upon which the question to be decided arises. 

4. Terms of Office.— The Chief Justices and Associate Justices shall hold their 
offices for six years, and until their successors are qualified. A successor to the incumbent 
whose term will soonest expire, shall be elected by the General Assembly in 1880 : a 
successor to the incumbent whose term of office is next in duration shall be elected by 
the General Assembly in 1882 ; and a successor to the third incumbent shall be elected by 
the General Assembly in 1884 ; but appointments to fill vacancies shall only be for the 
unexpired term, or until such vacancies are filled by elections, agreeably to the mode 
pointed out by the Constitution. 

5. Jurisdiction.— The Supreme Court shall have no original jurisdiction, but shall 
be a court alone for the trial and correction of errors from the superior courts, and from 
the city courts of Atlanta and Savannah, and such other like courts as may be hereafter 
established in other cities ; and shall sit at the seat of government, at such times in each 
}-ear as shall be prescribed by law, for the trial and determination of writs of error from 
said superior and city courts. 

6. Cases, How Disposed Of.— The Supreme Court shall dispose of every case at the 
first or second term after such writ of error is brought; and in case the plaintiff in error 
shall not be prepared at the first term to prosecute the case— unless prevented by provi- 
dential cause— it shall be stricken from the docket, and the judgment below shall stand 
affirmed. 

7. Judgments may be Withheld.— In any case the court may, in its discretion, 
withhold its judgment until the next term after the same is arguQd. 

SECTION III. 

SUPERIOR COURTS. 

1. Terms, etc., of Superior Court Judges.— There shall be a judge of the superior 
courts for each judicial circuit, whose term of office shall be four years, and until his 
Buccessor is qualified. He may act in other circuits when authorized by law. 



Appendix. xxix 



2. Elections, When to be Made.— The succcbsois to the present incumbents shall 
be elected by the General Assembly as follows : To the half (as near as may be) whose 
commissions are the oldest, in the year 1878 ; and to the others in the year 1880. All sub- 
sequent elections shall be at the session of the General Assembly next preceding the ex- 
piration of the terms of incumbents, except elections to fill vacancies. The day of election 
may be fixed by the General Assembly. 

3. Terms Begin, When.— The terms of the judges to be elected under the Constitu- 
tion (except to fill vacancies) shall begin on the first day of January, after their elections. 
But, if the time for the meeting of the General Assembly shall be changed, the General 
Assembly may change the time when the terms of judges thereafter elected shall begin. 

SECTION IV. 

JURISDICTION OF SUPERIOR COURTS, 

1. Exclusive Jurisdiction. — The superior court shall have exclusive jurisdiction 
in cases of divorce ; in criminal cases where the offender is subjected to loss of life, or 
confinement in the penitentiary 4 in cases respecting titles to land and equity cases. 

2. Equity mat be Merged in Common Laav Courts.— The General Assembly 
may confer upon the courts of common law, all the powers heretofore exercised by 
courts of equity in this State. 

3. General Jurisdiction.— Said courts shall have jurisdiction in all civil cases, 
except as hereinafter provided. 

4. Appellate Jurisdiction.— They shall have appellate jurisdiction in all such cases 
as may be provided by law. 

5. Certiorari, Mandamus, etc.— They shall have power to correct errors in 
inferior judicatories, by writ of cei'tiorari, which shall only issue on the sanction of the 
Judge ; and said courts and the judges thereof shall have power to issue writs of 
mandamus, prohibition, scire facias, and all other writs that may be necessary for carry- 
ing their powers fully into effect, and shall have such other powers as are or may be 
conferred on them by law. 

6. Appeal from one Jury to Another. — The General Assembly may provide 
for an appeal from one jury, in the superior and city courts, to another, and the said 
court may grant new trials on legal grounds. 

7. Judgment bt the Court.— The court shall render judgment without the 
verdict of a jury, in all civil cases founded on unconditional contracts in writing, where 
an issuable defense is not filed under oath or affirmation. 

8. Sessions.— The superior courts shall sit in each county not less than twice in each 
year, at such times as have been or may be appointed by law. 

9. Presiding Judge Disqualified. — The General Assembly may provide by law 
for the appointment of some proper person to preside in cases where the presiding judge 
is, from any cause, disqualified. 

SECTION V. 

JUDGES OF SUPERIOR AND CITY COURTS. 

1. Judges of Superior and City Courts May Alternate, When.— In any 
county within which there is, or hereafter may be, a city court, the judge of said court, 
and of the superior court, may preside in the courts of each other in cases where the 
judge of either court is disqualified to preside. 



XXX History of Georgia. 



SECTION VI. 

COURT OF OIIDINAKY. 

1. Ordinary, Appeals from.— The powers of a court of ordinary, and of probate, 
shall be vested in an ordinary for each county, from whose decision there may be an 
appeal (or, by consent of parties, without a decision) to the superior court, under regu- 
lations prescribed by law. 

2. Powers. —The courts of ordinary shall have such powers in relation to roads, 
bridges, ferries, public buildings, paupers, county officers, county funds, county taxes, 
and other county matters, as may be conferred on them by law. 

<&. Term of Office.— The ordinary shall hold his office for the term of four years, 
and until his successor is elected and qualified. 

SECTION VII. 

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 

1. Justices, Number and Term.— There shall be in each militia district one justice 
of the peace, whose official term, except when elected to fill an unexpired term, shall be 
four years. 

2. Jurisdiction.— Justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction in all civil cases, 
arising ex contractu, and in cases of injuries or damages to personal property, when the 
principal sum does not exceed one hundred dollars, and shall sit monthly at fixed times 
and places ; but in all cases there may be an appeal to a jury in said court, or an appeal 
to the superior court, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law. 

3. Elections and Commissions.— Justices of the peace shall be elected by the legal 
voters in their respective districts, and shall be commissioned by the Governor. Tliey 
shall be removable on conviction for malpractice in office. 

SECTION VIII. 

NOTARIES PUBLIC. 

1. Notaries Public, How Appointed, etc.— Commissioned notaries public, not 
to exceed one for each militia district, may be appointed by the judges of superior courts 
in their respective circuits, ui)on recommendation of the grand juries of the several coun- 
ties. They shall be commissioned by the Governor for the term of four years, and shall 
be ex officio justices of the peace, and shall be removable on conviction for malpractice 
in office. 

SECTION IX. 

UNIFORMITY OF COURTS. 

1. Uniformity Provided For. — The jurisdiction, powers, proceedings and practice 
of all courts or officers invested with judicial powers (except city courts), of the same 
grade or class, so far as regulated by law, and the force and effect of the process, judg- 
ment and decree, by such courts, severally, shall be uniform. This uniformity must be 
eetabliehed by the General Assembly. 



Appendix, xxxi 

SECTION X. 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 

1. Attorney-General ; Election.— There shall be an attorney -general of this 
State, who shall be elected by the people at the same time, for the same term, and in the 
same manner as the Governor. 

2. Duties.— It shall be the duty of the attorney-general to act as the legal adviser of 
the Executive Department, to represent the State in the Supreme Court in all capital 
felonies; and in all civil and criminal cases in any court when required by the Governor, 
and to perform such other services as shall be required of him by law, 

SECTION XI. 

SOLICITOR-GENERAL. 

1. Solicitor-General ; Term.— There shall be a solicitor-general for each judicial 
circuit, whose official term, except when commissioned to fill an unexpired term, shall be 
four years. 

2. Duties.— It shall be the duty of the solicitor-general to represent the State in all 
cases in the superior courts of his circuit, and in all cases taken up from his circuit to 
the Supreme Court, and to perform such other services as shall be required of him by law. 

SECTION XII. 

ELECTIONS OF JUDGES, ETC. 

1. Judges Elected bt General Assembly ; Vacancies.— The Judges of Supreme 
and superior courts, and solicitors-general, shall be elected by the General Assembly, in 
joint session, on such day or days as shall be fixed by joint resolution of both houses. At 
the session of the General Assembly which is held next before the expiration of the terms 
of the present incumbents, as provided in this Constitution, their successors shall be 
chosen ; and the same shall apply to the election of those who shall succeed them. 
"Vacancies occasioned by death, resignation or other cause, shall be filled by appointment 
of the Governor, until the General Assembly shall convene, when an election shall be held 
to fill the unexpired portion of the vacant terms. 

SECTION XIII. 

JUDICIAL SALARIES. 

1. Salaries op Judges.— The judges of the Supreme Court shall have, out of the 
treasury of the State, salaries not to exceed three thousand dollars per annum ; the judges 
of the superior courts shall have salaries not to exceed two thousand dollars per annum ; 
the attorney-general shall have a salary not to exceed two thousand dollars i)er annum ; 
and the solicitors-general each shall have salaries not to exceed two hundred and fifty 
dollars per annum ; but the attorney-general shall not have any fee or perquisite in any 
cases arising after the adoption of this Constitution ; but the provisions of this section 
shall not affect the salaries of those now in office. 

2. How Salaries may be Changed.— The General Assembly may at any time, 



xxxii History of Georgia. 



by a two-thirds vote of each branch, prescribe other and different salaries for any, or all, 
of the above officers, but no such change shall affect the officers then in commission. 

SECTION XIV. 

QUALIFICATION OF JUDGES, ETC. 
]. Qualifications.— No person shall be judge of the Supreme or superior courts 
or attorney -general, unless, at the time of his election, he shall have «ttained the age of 
thirty years, and shall have been a citizen of the State three years, and have practiced law 
for seven years ; and no person shall be hereafter elected solicitor-general, unless, at the 
time of his election, he shall have attained twenty-five years of age, shall have been 
a citizen of the State for three years, and shall have practiced law for three years next pre- 
ceding his election. 

SECTION XV. 

DIVORCE. 

1. Divorce.— No total divorce shall be granted, except on the concurrent verdicts of 
two juries at different terms of the court. 

2. Last Jury Determines Disabilities.— When a divorce is granted, the jury 
rendering the final verdict shall determine the rights and disabilities of the parties. 

SECTION XVI. 

VENUE. 

1. Divorce Cases, Where Brought.— Divorce cases shall be brought in the 
county where the defendant resides, if a resident of this State ; if the defendant be not a 
resident of this State, then in the county in which the plaintiff resides. 

2. Land, Titles, Where Tried. — Cases respecting titles to land shall be tried in 
the county where the land lies, except where a single tract is divided by a county line, in 
which case the superior court in either county shall have jurisdiction. 

3. Equity Cases.— Equity cases shall be tried in the county where a defendant 
resides against whom substantial relief is prayed. 

4. Suits Against Joint Obligors, etc.— Suits against joint obligors, joint promis- 
sors, copartners, or joint trespassers, residing in different counties, may be tried in either 
county. 

5. Suits Against Maker and Indorser, etc.— Suits against the maker and 
indorser of promissory notes, or drawer, acceptor and indorser of foreign or inland bills 
of exchange, or like instruments, residing in different counties, shall be brought in the 
county where the maker or acceptor resides. 

6. All Other Cases.— All other civil cases shall be tried in the county where the 
defendant resides, and all criminal cases shall be tried in the county where the crime was 
committed, except cases in the superior courts where the judge is satisfied that an 
impartial jury cannot be obtained in such county. 

SECTION XVII. 

CHANGE OF VENUE. 
1. Power to Change Venue.— The power to change the venue in civil and criminal 
cases shall be vested in the superior courts, to be exercised in such manner as has been, 
or shall be, provided by law. 



Appendix. xxxiii 

SECTION XVIII. 

JURY TRIALS. 

1. Trial by Jury.— The right of trial by jury, except where it is otherwise provided 
in this Constitution, shall remain inviolate, but the General Assembly may prescribe any 
number, not less than five, to constitute a trial or traverse jury in courts other than the 
superior and city courts. 

2. Selection of Jurors. — The General Assembly shjfll provide by law for the 
selection of the most experienced, intelligent and upright men to serve as grand jurors, 
and intelligent and upright men to serve as traverse jurors. Nevertheless, the grand 
jurors shall be competent to serve as traverse jurors. 

3. Compensation op Jurors.— It shall be the duty of the General Assembly, by 
general laws, to prescribe the manner of fixing compensation of jurors in all counties in 
this State. 

SECTION XIX. 

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 

1. Power to Create County Commissioners.— The General Assembly shall have 
power to provide for the creation of county commissioners in such counties as may require* 
them, and to define their duties. 

SECTION XX. 

WHAT COURTS MAY BE ABOLISHED. 

1. Power TO Abolish Courts.— All courts not specially mentioned by name in the 
first section of this Article, may be abolished in any county, at the discretion of the 
General Assembly. 

SECTION XXI. 

SUPREME COURT COSTS. 

1. Costs in Supreme Court.— The costs in the Supreme Court shall not exceed ten 
dollars, until otherwise provided by law. Plaintiffs in error shall not be required to pay 
costs in said court when the usual pauper oath is filed in the court below, 

ARTICLE VII. 

Fi:S^AJS'CE, TAXATION^ AND PUBLIC DEBT. 
SECTION I. 

POWER OF TAXATION. 

1. Taxation, How and for What Purpose Exercised.— The powers of taxation 
over the whole State shall be exercised by the General Assembly for the following pur- 
poses only: 

For the support of the State government and the public institutions. 



xxxiv HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



For educational purposes, in instructing children in the elementary branches of an 
English education only. 

To pay the interest on the public debt. 

To pay the principal of the public debt. 

To suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, and defend the State in time of war. 

To supply the soldiers who lost a limb, or limbs, in the military service of the 
Confederate States, with substantial artificial limbs during life, and to make 
suitable provision for such Confederate soldiers as may have been otherwise 
disabled or permanently injured in such service; or who, by reason of age and 
poverty, or infirmity and poverty, or blindness and poverty, are unable to 
provide a living for themselves ; and for the widows of such Confederate 
soldiers as may have died in the service of Confederate States, or since from 
wounds received therein, or disease contracted therein : Provided, this para- 
graph shall only apply to such widows as were married at the time of such 
service and have remained unmarried since the death of such soldier husbands. 

SECTION II. 

TAXATION AND EXEMPTIONS. 

1. Must be Untporm, etc.; Dogs.— All taxation shall be uniform upon the same 
class of subjects, and ad valorem on all property subject to be taxed within the territorial 
limits of the authority levying the tax, and shall be levied and collected under general 
laws. The General Assembly may, however, impose a tax upon such domestic animals 
as, from their nature and habits, are destructive of other property. 

2. Exemptions. — Tlie General Assembly may, by law, exempt from taxation all 
public property, places of religious worship or burial ; all institutions of purely public 
charity ; all buildings erected for and used as a college, incorporated academy, or other 
seminary of learning ; the real and personal estate of any public library, and that of any 
other literary association, used by or connected with such library ; all books and philo- 
sophical apparatus ; and all paintings and statuary of any company of association, kept in 
a public hall, and not held as merchandise, or for purposes of sale or gain : Provided, 
the ])roperty so exempted be not used for purposes of private or corporate profit or 
income. 

3. Poll Tax. — No i)oll tax shall be levied excejit for educational i)urposes, and such 
tax shall not exceed one dollar annually, upon each poll. 

4. Laws Exempting Property Void.— All laws exempting property from taxation, 
othef than the property herein enumerated, shall be void. 

5. Tax on Corporations. — The power to tax corporations and corporate i)roperty, 
shall not be surrendered or suspended by any contract or grant to which the State 
shall be a party. 

SECTION III. 

STATE DEBT. 

1. Debts, for What Contracteo.— No debt shall be contracted by or on behalf of 
the State, excei)t to supply casual deficiencies of revenue, to repel invasion, suppress 
insurrection, and defend the State in time of war, or to i)ay the existing iniblic debt ; but 
the debt created to supply deficiencies in revenue shall not exceed, in the aggregate, two 
hundred thousand dollars. 



APPENDIX. XXXV 

SECTION IV. 

DEBT, HOW CONTRACTED. 

1. Form of Laws to Borrow Money.— All laws authorizing the borrowing of 
money by or on behalf of the State, shall specify the purposes for which the money is to 
be used, and the money so obtained shall be used for the purpose specified, and for no 
other. 

SECTION V. 

STATE AID. 

1. State Aid Forbidden.— The credit of the State shall not be pledged or loaned to 
any individual, company, corporation or association, and the State shall not become 
a joint owner or stockholder in any company, association or corporation. 

SECTION VI. 

PURPOSES OF TAXATION BY COUNTIES AND CITIES. 

1. Restrictions on Counties and Cities.— The General Assembly shall not author- 
ize any county, municipal corporation, or political division of this State, to become a 
stockholder in any company, corporation, or association, or to appropriate money for, or 
to loan its credit to, any corporation, company, association, institution, or individual, ex- 
cept for purely charitable purposes. This restriction shall not operate to prevent the 
support of schools by municipal corporations within their respective limits: Provided, 
that if any municipal corporation shall offer to the State any property for locating or 
building a capitol, and the State accepts such offer, the corporation may comply with 
such offer. 

2. Taxing Power of Counties Limited.- The General Assembly shall not have 
power to delegate to any county the right to levy a tax for any purpose, except for 
educational purposes in instructing children in the elementary branches of an English 
education only ; to build and repair the public buildings and bridges ; to maintain and 
support prisoners ; to pay jurors and coroners, and for litigation, quarantine, roads and 
expenses of courts ; to support paupers and pay debts heretofore existing. 

SECTION VII. 

LIMITATION ON MUNICIPAL DEBTS. 

L Debt op Counties and Cities Not to Exceed Seven Per Cent.— The debt 
hereafter incurred by any county, municipal corporation, or political division of this 
State, except as in this Constitution provided for, shall not exceed seven per centum of 
the assessed value of all the taxable property therein, and no such county, municipality, 
or division, shall incur any new debt, except for a temporary loan or loans to supply 
casual deficiencies of revenue, not to exceed one-fifth of one per centum of the assessed 
value of taxable property therein, without the assent of two-thirds of the qualified voters 
thereof, at an election for that purpose, to be held as may be prescribed by law ; but any 
city, the debt of which does not exceed seven per centum of the assessed value of the 
taxable property at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, may be authorized by 



xxxvi HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 



law to increase, at any time, the amount of eaid debt, three per centum upon such assessed 
valuation. 

2. County and City Bonds, How Paid.— Any county, municipal corporation, or 
political division of this State, which shall incur any bonded indebtedness under the pro- 
visions of this Constitution, shall, at or before the time of so doing, provide for the 
assessment and collection of an annual tax, sutScient in amount to pay the principal and 
interest of said debt within thirty years from the date of the incurring of said indebted- 
ness. 

SECTION VIII. 

ASSUMPTION OF DEBT. 

1. Assumption of Debts Forbidden.— The State shall not assume the debt, nor 
any part thereof, of any county, municipal corporation, or political division of the State, 
unless such debt shall be contracted to enable the State to repel invasion, suppress insur- 
rection, or defend itself in time of war. 

SECTION IX. 

PUBLIC MONEY. 

1. Profit on Public Money.— The receiving, directly or indirectly, by any officer 
of the State or county, or member or otficer of the General Assembly, of any interests, 
profits or perquisites arising from the use or loan of public funds in his hands, or moneys 
to be raised through his agency for State or county purposes, shall be deemed a felony, 
and punishable as may be prescribed by law, a part of which punishment shall be a 
disqualification from holding office. 

SECTION X. 

CITY DEBTS. 

1. City Debts, How Incurred.— Municipal corporations shall not incur any debt 
until provision therefor shall ha\e been made by the municipal government. 

SECTION XI. 

VOID BONDS. 

1 . Certain Bonds Shall Not be Paid.— The General Assembly shall have no authority 
to appropriate money directly or indirectlj^, to pay the whole, or any part, of the principal 
or interest of the bonds, or other obligations, which have been pronounced illegal, null 
and void, by the General Assembly, and the constitutional amendments ratified by a vote 
of the people on the first day of May, 1877 ; nor shall the General Assembly have authority 
to pay any of the obligations created by the State under laws passed during the late war 
between the States, nor any of the bonds, notes, or obligations made and entered ijito 
during the existence of said war, the time for the payment of which was fixed after the 
ratification of a treaty of peace between the United States and the Confederate States; 
nor shall the General Assembly pass any law, or the Governor, or other State official, 
enter into any contract or agreement, whereby the State shall be made a party to any 
suit in any court of this State, or of the United States, instituted to test the validity of 
any such bonds or obligations. 



Appendix. xxxvii 



SECTION xn. 

PUBLIC DEBT NOT TO BE INCREASED. 

1. Bonded Debt Not to Increase. — The bonded debt of the State shall never 
be increased, except to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or to defend the State in 
time of war. 

SECTION XIII. 

PUBLIC PROPERTY PLEDGED FOR STATE'S DEBT. 

1. State's Property May be Sold to Pay Bonded Debt.— The proceeds of 
the sale of the Western and Atlantic, Macon and Brunswick, or other railroads held by 
the State, and any other property owned by the State, whenever the General Assembly 
may authorize the sale of the whole, or any part thereof, shall be applied to the payment 
of the bonded debt of the State, and shall not be used for any other purpose whatever, 
so long as the State has any existing bonded debt : Provided, that the proceeds of the 
sale of the Western and Atlantic Railroad shall be applied to the payment of the bonds 
for which said railroad has been mortgaged, in preference to all other bonds. 

SECTION XIV. 

SINKING FUND. 

1. Sinking Fund.— The General Assembly shall raise by taxation each year, in ad- 
dition to the sum required to pay the public expenses and interests on the public debt, 
the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, which shall be held as a sinking fund to pay 
off and retire the bonds of the State which have not yet matured, and shall be applied to 
no other purpose whatever. If the bonds cannot at any time be purchased at or below 
par, then the sinking fund, herein provided for, may be loaned by the Governor and 
treasurer of the State: Provided, the security which shall be demanded for said loan 
shall consist only of the valid bonds of the State ; but this section shall not take effect 
until the eight per cent, currency bonds, issued under the Act of February 19th, 1873, 
shall have been paid. 

SECTION XV. 

REPORTS. 
1. Quarterly Reports of Comptroller and Treasurer.— The comptroller- 
general and treasurer shall each make to the Governor a quarterly report of the financial 
condition of the State, which report shall include a statement of the assets, liabilities and 
income of the State, and expenditures therefor, for the three months preceding ; and it 
shall be the duty of the Governor to carefully examine the same by himself, or through 
competent persons connected with his department, and cause an abstract thereof to be 
published for the information of the people, which abstract shall be indorsed by him as 
having been examined. 

SECTION XVI. 

DONATIONS. 
1. Donations Forbidden.— The General Assembly shall not, by vote, resolution, 
or order, grant any donation, or gratuity, in fa^'or of any person, corporation, or associa- 
tion. 



xxxviii History of Georgia. 



2. Extra Compensation Forbidden.— The General Assembly shall not grant or 
authorize extra compensation to any public officer, agent, or contractor, after the service 
has been rendered, or the contract entered into. 

SECTION XVII. 

PUBLIC PRINTING. 

1. Public Printing.— The office of the State printer shall cease with the expiration 
of the term of the present incumbent, and the General Assembly shall provide, by law, 
for letting the public printing to the lowest responsible bidder, or bidders, who shall give 
adequate and satisfactory security for the faithful performance thereof. No member of 
the General Assembly, or other public officer, shall be interested, either directly or in- 
directly, in any such contract. 



ARTICLE VIII. 

EDUCATIOIT. 
SECTION I. 

COMMON SCHOOLS. 

1. Common Schools.— There shall be a thorough system of common schools for the 
education of children in the elementary branches of an English education only, as nearly 
uniform as practicable, the expenses of which shall be provided for by taxation, or 
otherwise. The schools shall be free to all children of the State, but separate schools 
shall be provided for the white and colored races. 

SECTION II. 

SCHOOL COMMISSIONER. 

1. State School Commissioner. —There shall be a State school commissioner, 
appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate, whose term of office shall be two 
years, and until his successor is appointed and qualified. His office shall be at the seat of 
government, and he shall be paid a salary not to exceed two thousand dollars per annum. 
The General Assembly may substitute for the State school commissioner such officer, or 
officers, as may be deemed necessary to perfect the system of public education. 

SECTION III. 

SCHOOL FUND. 

1. School Fund.— The poll tax, any educational fund now belonging to the State 
(except the endowment of, and debt due to, the University of Georgia), a special tax on 
shows and exhibitions, and on the sale of spirituous and malt liquors, which the General 
Assembly is hereby authorized to assess, and the proceeds of any commutation tax for 
military service, and all taxes that may be assessed on such domestic animals as. from 
their nature and habits, are destructive to other property, are hereby set apart and 
devoted for the support of common schools. 



APPENDIX. xxxix 

SECTION IV. 

EDUCATIONAL. TAX. 

1. Counties and Cities mat Tax for Public Schools.— Authority may be granted 
to counties upon the recommendation of two grand juries, and to municipal corporations 
upon the recommendation of the corporate authority, to estabHsh and maintain public 
schools in their respective limits, by local taxation ; but no such local laws shall take 
effect until the same shall have been submitted to a vote of the qualified voters in each 
county or municipal corporation, and approved by a two-thirds vote of persons qualified 
to vote at such election ; and the General Assembly may prescribe who shall vote on such 
question. 

SECTION V. 

LOCAL SYSTEMS, 

1. Local Schools not Affected.— Existing local school systems shall not be 
affected by this Constitution. Nothing contained in first section of this article shall be 
construed to deprive schools in this State, not common schools, from participation in the 
educational fund of the State, as to all pupils therein taught in the elementary branches 
of an English education. 

SECTION VI. 

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA. 

1. State University.— The trustees of the University of Georgia may accept be- 
quests, donations and grants of land, or other property, for the use of said University. 
In addition to the payment, of the annual interest on the debt due by tlie State to the 
University, the General Assembly may, from time to time, make such donations thereto 
as the condition of the treasury will authorize. And tlie General Assembly may also, 
from time to time, make such appropriations of money as the condition of the treasury 
will authorize, to any college or university (not exceeding one in number) now established, 
or hereafter to be established, in this State for the education of persons of color. 



AETICLE IX. 

HOMESTEAD AIs^D EXEMPTIOI^-S. 
SECTION I, 

HOMESTEAD. 

1. Homestead and Exemption.— There shall be exempt from levy and sale, by virtue 
of {Ay process whatever under the laws of this State, except as hereinafter excepted, of 
the property of every head of a family, or guardian or trustee of a family of minor 
children, or every aged or infirm person, or person having the care and support of 
dependent females of any age, who is not the head of a family, realty or personalty, or 
both, to the value in the aggregate of sixteen hundred dollars. 



xl ■ History of Georgia. 



SECTION II. 

EXEMPTION. 

1. Protection Guaranteed.— No court, or ministerial officer in this State shall 
ever have jurisdiction or authority to enforce any judgment, execution, or decree, against 
the property set apart for such purpose, including such improvements as may be made 
thereon from time to time, except for tiixes, for the purchase money of the same, for 
labor done thereon, for material furnished therefor, or for the removal of incumbrances 
thereon. 

SECTION III. 

WAIVER OF HOMESTEAD. 

1. Mat be Waived, How Far ; How Sold.— The debtor shall have power to 
waive or renounce in writing his right to the benefit of the exemption provided for in 
this Article, except as to wearing apparel, and not exceeding three hundred dollars worth 
of household and kitchen furniture, and provisions, to be selected by himself and his 
wife, if any, and he shall not, after it is set apart, alienate or encumber tlie property so 
exempted, but it may be sold by the debtor, and his wife, if any, jointly, with the 
sanction of the judge of the superior court of the county where the debtor resides or 
the land is situated, the proceeds to be reinvested upon the same uses. 

SECTION IV. 

HOMESTEAD SET APART, HOW. 

1. Setting Apart Short Homestead.— The General Assembly shall provide, by 
law, as early as practicable, for the setting apart and valuation of said property. But 
nothing in this Article shall be construed to affect or repeal the existing laws for exemp- 
tion of property from sale, contained in the present Code of this State, in paragraphs 
2040 to 2049, inclusive, and the acts amendatory thereto. It may be optional with the 
ai)plicant to take either, but not both, of such exemptions. 

SECTION V. 

SHORT HOMESTEAD WAIVED. 

1. Short Homestead may be Waived.— The debtor shall have authority to waive 
or renounce in writing his right to the benefit of the exemption provided for in section 
four, except as is excepted in section three of this Article. 

SECTION VI. 

HOMESTEAD SUPPLEMENTED, ^ 

1. Supplemental Homestead.— The applicant shall at any time have the right to 
supplement his exemption by adding to an amount already set ajjurt, which is less than 
the whole amount of exemption herein allowed, a sufficiency to make his exemption equal 
to the whole amount. 



Appendix. xli 

SECTION VII. 

FORMER HOMESTEADS PRESERVED. 

1. Homesteads Heketofore Set Apart.— Homesteads and exemptions of per- 
sonal property which have been heretofore set apart by virtue of the provisions of the 
existing Constitution of this State, and in accordance with tlie laws for the enforcement 
thereof, or which may be hereafter so set apart, at any time, shall be and remain valid as 
against all debts and liabilities existing at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, 
to the same extent that they would have been had said existing Constitution not been 
revised. 

SECTION VIII. 

PRIOR RIGHTS TO EXEMPTION PRESERVED. 

1. Vested Eights Protected. — Rights which have become vested under previously 
existing laws shall not be affected by anything herein contained. In all cases in which 
homesteads have been set apart under the Constitution of 1868, and the laws made 
in pursuance thereof, and a bona fide sale of such property has been subsequently made 
and the full purchase price thereof has been paid, all right of exemption in such property 
by reason of its having been so set apart, shall cease in so far as it affects the right of the 
purchaser. In all such cases where a part only of the purchase price has been paid, such 
transactions shall be governed by the laws now of force in this State, in so far as they 
affect the rights of the purchaser, as though said property had not been set apart. 

SECTION IX. 

SALE OF HOMESTEAD. 

1. Sale and Reinvestment of Homestead. — Parties vpho have taken a homestead 
of realty under the Constitution of 1868 shall have the right to sell said homestead and 
reinvest the same, by order of the judge of the superior courts of this State. 

AKTICLE X. 

MILITIA. 
SECTION I. 

MILITIA AND VOLUNTEERS. 

1. Organization op Militia.— A well regulated militia being essential to the 
peace and security of the State, the General Assembly shall have authority to provide by 
law how the militia of this State shall be organized, officered, trained, armed, and 
equipped ; and of whom it shall consist. 

2. Volunteers.— The General Assembly shall have power to authorize the formation 
of volunteer companies, and to provide for their organization into battalions, regiments, 
brigades, divisions and corps, with such restrictions as may be prescribed by law, and 
shall have authority to arm and equip the same. 



xlii History of Georgia. 

3. Pat of Militia.— The officers and men of the militia and volunteer forces shall 
not be entitled to receive any pay, rations, or emoluments, when not in active service by 
authority of the State. 

ARTICLE XI. 

C0U1^"TIES A.^T> COUNTY OFFICERS. 

SECTION I. 
COUNTIES. 

1. Counties are Corporate Bodies.— Each county shall be a body corporate, with 
such powers and limitations as may be prescribed by law. All suits by or against 
a county, shall be in the name thereof ; and the metes and bounds of the several counties 
shall remain as now prescribed by law, unless changed as hereinafter provided. 

2. New Counties Not Allowed.— No new county shall be created. 

3. Change of County Lines.— County lines shall not be changed unless under the 
operation of a general law for that purpose. 

4. Change of County Sites .—No county-site shall be changed or removed, except 
by a two-thirds vote of the qualified voters of the county, voting at an election held for 
that purpose, and a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. 

5. Dissolution of Counties.— Any county may be dissolved and merged with 
contiguous counties, by a two-thirds vote of the qualified electors of such county, voting 
at an election held for that purpose. 

SECTION 11. 

COUNTY OFFICERS. 

1. County Officers.— The county officers shall be elected by the qualified voters of 
their respective counties, or districts, and shall hold their offices for two years. They 
shall be removed on conviction for malpractice in office, and no person shall be eligible 
to any of the offices referred to in this paragraph, unless he shall have been a resident of 
the county for two years, and is a qualified voter. 

SECTION III. 

UNIFORMITY IN COUNTY OFFICERS. 

1. County Officers to be Uniform.— Whatever tribunal, or officers, may here- 
after be created by the General Assembly for the transaction of county matters, shall be 
uniform throughout the State, and of the same name, jurisdiction and remedies, except 
that the General Assembly may provide for the appointment of commissioners of roads 
and revenue in any county. 

SECTION IV. 

STATE CAPITAL. 

1. Capital in Atlanta.— The city of Atlanta shall be the capital of the State, 
until changed by the same authority, and in the same way, that is provided for the 
alteration of this Constitution. 



Appendix. xliii 

ARTICLE XII. 

THE LAWS OF GEi^EEAL 0PERATI0:N' 11^ FORCE IN THIS STATE. 

SECTION I. 

1. Supreme Law, What Is.— The laws of general operation in this State are, first, 
as the supreme law : The Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States 
in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made under the authority of the United States. 

2. Second ix Authority.— Second, as next in authority thereto : this Constitution. 

3. Third in Authority.— Third, in subordination to the foregoing: All laws now 
of force in this State, not inconsistent with this Constitution, and the ordinances of this 
Convention, shall remain of force until the same are modified or repealed by the General 
Assembly. The tax acts and appropriation acts passed by the General Assembly of 1877, 
and approved by the Governor of the State, and not inconsistent with the Constitution, 
are hereby continued in force until altered by law. 

4. Local and Private Acts.— Local and private acts passed for the benefit of coun- 
ties, cities, towns, corporations, and private persons, not inconsistent with the supreme 
law, nor with this Constitution, and which have not expired nor been repealed, shall 
have the force of statute law, subject to judicial decision as to their validity when passed, 
and to any limitations imposed by their own terms. 

5. Vested Rights Secured.— All rights, privileges and immunities which may have 
been vested in, or accrued to, any person or persons, or corporation, in his, her or their 
own right, or in any fiduciary capacity, under and in virtue of, any act of the General 
Assembly, or any judgment, decree or order, or other proceeding of any court of compe- 
tent jurisdiction in this State, heretofore rendered, shall be held inviolate by all courts 
before which they may be brought in question, unless attacked for fraud. 

6. Acts of Courts Confirmed.— All judgments, decrees, orders, and other proceed- 
ings, of the several courts of this State, heretofore made, within the limits of their several 
jurisdictions, are hereby ratified and affirmed, subject only to reversal by motion for a 
new trial, appeal, bill of review, or other proceeding, in conformity with thelaw of force 
when they were made. 

7. Existing Officers.- The officers of the government now existing, shall continue 
in the exercise of their several functions until their successors are duly elected or ap- 
pointed, and qualified; but nothing herein is to apply to any officer whose office may be 
abolished by this Constitution. 

8. Ordinances.— The ordinances of this Convention shall have the force of laws 
until otherwise provided by the General Assembly, except the ordinances in reference to 
submitting the homestead and capital question to a vote of the people, which ordinances, 
after being voted on, shall have the effect of constitutional provisions. 

ARTICLE XIIL 

AMEN"DMENTS TO THE COiN^STITIITION". 

SECTION I. 

1. Constitution, How Amended.— Any amendment, or amendments, to this Consti- 
tution may be proposed in the Senate or House of Representatives, and if the same shall 



xliv HISTORY OF GEORGIA. 



be agreed to, by two-thirds of the meinljers elected to each of the two houses, such pro- 
j)osed amendment, or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and 
nays taken thereon. And the General Assembly shall cause such amendment or amend- 
ments to be pul)lished in one or more newspapers in each congressional district, for two 
months previous to the time of holding the next general election, and shall also provide 
for a submission of such proposed amendment or amendments to the people at said next 
general election, and if the people shall ratify such amendment or amendments, by 
a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly, voting 
thereon, such amendmenf or amendments shall become a part of this Constitution. 
When more than one amendment is submitted at the same time, they shall be so submitted 
as to enable the electors to vote on each amendment separately. 

2. Convention, How Called. — No convention of the people shall be called by the 
General Assembly to revise, amend, or change this Constitution, unless by a concurrence 
of two-thirds of all the members of each house of the General Asseml)ly. The repre- 
sentation in said convention shall be based on population as near as practicable. 

SECTION II. 

CONSTITUTION, HOW RATIFIED. 

1. Constitution, How Ratified.— The Constitution shall be submitted for ratifica- 
tion or rejection to the electors of the State, at an election to be held on the first Wednes- 
day in December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, in the several election 
districts of this State, at which election every person shall be entitled to vote who is entitled 
to vote for the members of the General Assembly under the Constitution and laws of force 
at the date of such election ; said election to be held and conducted as is now provided 
by law for holding elections for members of the General Assembly. All persons voting 
at said election in favor of adopting the Constitution, shall write or have printed on 
their ballots the words "For Ratification," and all persons opposed to the adoption of 
this Constitution shall write or have printed on their ballots the words "Against 
Ratification." 

2. Consolidation of Votes.— The votes cast at said election shall be consolidated in 
each of the counties of this State, as is now required by law in elections for members of 
the General Assembly, and returns thereof made to the Governor ; and should a majority 
of all the votes cast at said election be in favor of ratification, he shall declare the said 
Constitution adopted, and make proclamation of the result of said election by publication 
in one or more newspapers in each congressional district of the State, but should 
a majority of the votes cast be against ratification, he shall in the same manner proclaim 
the said Constitution rejected. 



CONSTITUTION RATIFIED. 

Ratified by a vote of the People at an election held on the fifth day of December, 1877. 
The Convention which adopted the Constitution met on the eleventh day of July, and 
adjourned on the twenty-fifth day of August, 1877. 



MAURY'S GEOGRAPHIES. 



Lieutenant Maury spent many years of his life in 
observant travel. He thus became personally ac- 
quainted with nearly every part of the globe. His 
Geographies, therefore, are not a mere compilation of 
what others have said, but in a large measure a descrip- 
tion of what he himself saw. This, it is believed, can 
be said of no other Geographies in the market. 

The books have won for themselves the widest recog- 
nition for the charming manner in which they present 
geographical facts, and are a noble monument to the 
genius and industry of their illustrious author. 

The subject is treated as a science and not as a 
collection of dry, disjointed facts. It is so presented 
to the scholar as to interest him from the first page to 
the last. 

The books have been beautifully illustrated from 
new designs, and the text in its arrangement is suited 
to the most approved and systematic methods of 
instruction. 

They are fully up with the times. The progress of 
geographical science is closely watched. All changes 
and facts, properly authenticated, are promptly noted 
and embodied in the text. 



MAURY'S ELEMENTARY GEOGRAPHY, . . $o„55 

MANUAL OF GEOGRAPHY, . . 1.25 

" PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, . . . 1.20 



ANALYTICAL METHOD, 

Sanford's Arithmetics, 

BY 

SHELTON P. SANFORD, A.M., 

PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN MERCER UNIVERSITY, GEORGIA, 



These books are based on the analytic system, the 
method of teaching Arithmetic employed by the best 
and most progressive educators. It is the natural 
method. It lessens the labor of the teacher and 
facilitates the work of the pupil. It furnishes that 
mental discipline and training of the reasoning powers 
so essential to the full development of the pupil. 

The solutions are clear and simple. The humblest 
capacity can comprehend them and the most advanced 
students are aided. 

The definitions are given in language that is clear 
and concise. 

The development of the science in advancing from 
one subject to another is natural, and by steps that are 
suited to the capacity or attainments of the pupil. 
Commencing with simple processes and explanations, 
there is a regular gradation to the more difificult parts 
of the science. 

The pupil is constantly taught to rely on himself. 
He not only learns how to perform each operation, but 
he is also shown the reason underlying the operation. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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